Day reaches Match Play quarters with win over Watson

Australia's Jason Day powered past Masters champion Bubba Watson 4 and 3 on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship. Day was 3-up heading to the 15th at Dove Mountain, a driveable par-four. Watson ended up conceding the hole to end the match, sending Day into an afternoon quarter-final conest with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. Former US Open champion McDowell ended Irishman Shane Lowry's dream run with a 3 and 2 third-round victory. Lowry had toppled world number one Rory McIlroy in the first round, then became the first 64th seed to reach the third round in the 15-year history of the event with a convincing 6 and 5 victory over Carl Petterson. McIlroy led a parade of top seeds out of the tournament in the first two rounds. Three-time champion Tiger Woods, the world number two and second seed, also exited in the first round, while the overall third, fourth and fifth seeds -- Luke Donald, Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose -- all lost in the second. Defending champion Hunter Mahan made it safely through to the quarters with a 5 and 4 victory over Germany's Martin Kaymer. Kaymer, runner-up to Donald in 2011, was 2-down after four holes as he was unable to birdie either of the opening par-fives on the course. Mahan plays reigning US Open champion Webb Simpson, a 2-up winner over Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Ian Poulter of England advanced with a 5 and 3 victory over South African Tim Clark, setting up a clash with US Ryder Cup foe Steve Stricker -- who edged Scott Piercy 1-up. Robert Garrigus, who ousted former Masters champion Oosthuizen in the second round, advanced with a 3 and 1 victory over Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson. He next faced fellow American Matt Kuchar, who beat Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts 4 and 3. From : AFP