Rickie Fowler beat Jim Furyk with a par on the 18th hole and advanced to the semifinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz.
Fowler had a 3-up lead through 12 holes, but Furyk roared ahead by taking four consecutive holes with three birdies and a par, before faltering with bogeys on the last two holes.
“I knew Jim was going to come on there and he did with three straight birdies,” said Fowler, who grew up in Murietta. “I just had to stay patient and hit some good shots coming in.
“It’s match play and sometimes you just want to get to 18 and make something happen.”
Fowler’s opponent in the semifinals will be Jason Day of Australia, who built a 3-up lead after 12 holes on his way to a 2-and-1 victory over Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who was nursing a back injury.
On the other side of the bracket, 44-year-old Ernie Els of South Africa ended the run of Jordan Spieth, 20, by winning three of the last five holes for a 4-and-2 victory.
In the semifinals, Els will take on surprising Victor Dubuisson of France, who overcame an early 2-down deficit and eliminated match play ace Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, 1 up.
