WGC Cadillac Match Play
April 2015
Lee is at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco for the new format WGC Cadillac Match Play.
His best finish was fourth in 2012.
"This is the first year that the WGC-Cadillac Match Play will open with a pool format. Soccerâs World Cup may be the closest comparison. The Cadillacâs 64-man field is divided into 16 four-man pools, with each one headed by one of the top 16 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. The other three members were randomly drawn, with one apiece coming from the Nos. 17-32 seeds, Nos. 33-48 and Nos. 49-64."
Lee had a 12.00pm (GMT-8) tee time with Matt Every for the first round. He is in Group 2 with Jordan Spieth vs Mikko Ilonen
It proved to be an exciting match when Lee took the lead at the second hole then back to AS at the next. Lee won the 4th but it was AS at the next two holes. Lee double bogeyed 7 and Matt remained 1 up for the next two holes. Lee's lengthy birdie putt at the par 3 9th took the match back to AS at the turn. The match remained AS until Lee bogeyed 12 and Matt took the lead then back to AS at the next. Matt won 14 when Lee bogeyed the hole but Lee's birdie at 15, which Matt bogeyed, took the match back to AS. Lee won 16 with a birdie but bogeyed the next to go AS.
Lee won the final hole and the match, with a birdie at 18. He now plays Mikko Ilonen, who won the Volvo World Match Play in 2014.
"It will be a tough game", said Lee,"He's got a match play pedigree".
" It was a pretty good match", said Lee. "After seven holes I was getting whomped, really. I was still 3?down through nine. I made a few birdies on the back nine, though. I was fortunate on the last. That pin... the ball was moving sideways at the end of the day".
"He was playing well. He wasn't missing anything. Just had to try and put some pressure on him". Illonen remained in charge until the 13th, which Lee birdied to take the match back to all square. Lee was 2-up by the 16th but lost the next hole. Both made par at the last for Lee to remain 1-up to win the match.
Lee had an 11.50 ET tee time with Jordan Spieth on Friday. " He's obviously playing well. He's obviously the hottest in the world at the moment. But when you're favoured, the pressure is all on you", Lee said.
Spieth took the lead from the first hole, then went 2-up when Lee bogeyed the second. It was back to 1-up at the 6th when Jordan bogeyed the par 4 6th hole. Thanks to Lee's birdie at 9, the match was all square. Lee went 1 up at 10 but it was all square at the next.
"it was a fun match to play. It could have gone either way. There was more than one ending", Lee said.
"Jordan played nicely. Played as good as I expected him to play. I upped my game. I played nicely, as well.
"Then down the stretch there I had a good up and down on 13. Jordan had a couple good up?and?downs on 13 and 14".
Everything happened on the back nine, "Jordan chipping in on 15, and me from about nine feet on top of him. And making a massive 16 out of the trap. It was a tough lie on the downslope there. It was a nice chip?in to sort of keep myself in it. Had a great 6 iron at 17, holed a nice 12, 15?footer to go 1?up. I chipped in on 16 for par and then made a good birdie at 17.
"It's about just making those putts from 12 feet at the right time and playing the holes well. It unravels very quickly in match play, and you've got to strike when you've got the momentum. It unravels very quickly in match play, and you've got to strike when you've got the momentum".
Lee won his match 2-up.
I think probably getting out of the group is really one of the toughest things to do this week. It's sort of a different format. Fortunately I won three games and get the fate in my hands. Very excited about tomorrow morning. Don't know who I'm playing yet, but try to come out and play as good as I did today, just keep holing putts".
He had a 10.26ET tee-time with Danny Willett on Saturday to play in the Round of 16. Lee won the first hole and remained 1-up until Willett birdied the par- 5 5th hole. The match remained AS until the 13th, which Danny birdied to take the lead. He then birdied 15 to go 2-up and won the match 3 & 2 at the 16th, where he won the hole with a par. Lee, earned â¬137,627 in prize money.
"We were both hitting it pretty good," said stablemate Danny Willett of the match. "If you look at the shots, we were side-by-side for a lot of the day. ... You're still playing a friend, but you've got to get through."
Rory McIlroy won the event.
