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Mickelson, Johnson reach Match Play last 16

Los Angeles - World number one Dustin Johnson and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson advanced to the knockout rounds of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship with impressive triumphs on Friday.

Johnson, the reigning US Open champion, won six of the first seven holes and completed an unbeaten run through the group stage by downing fellow American Jimmy Walker 5&3 at Austin Country Club.

Johnson had two birdies and an eagle on his way to leading 6-up after seven holes and even a birdie-eagle run by Walker to win 11 and 12 only delayed the end, which came when Johnson parred 15 to close out the triumph.

"I like match play. It's fun and it's exciting to watch," Johnson said. "I feel like I've got a little bit of an advantage just because I'm playing really well."

In Saturday's round of 16, Johnson faces compatriot Zach Johnson, who edged American Brendan Steele 1 up in the day's final match to advance.

Steele, who only needed to halve to go through, birdied the par-5 16th and par-3 17th to square his match but Johnson pitched his third shot three feet from the cup and parred at 18 while Steele missed a 12-footer for par to fall.

Mickelson finished group play unbeaten after a 6-and-5 rout of fellow American J.B. Holmes. It's the first time since 2004 that the 46-year-old US left-hander Mickelson advanced past the third round of the event.

Mickelson dominated from the outset, opening with back-to-back birdies before going 3-up after three holes. He won the eighth with a birdie before taking the 10th and 11th and then closing out the win with a halve at 13.

"To win the first three matches is a great start," said Mickelson. "This weekend will be difficult. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't been to the weekend in match play in a long time."

England's Paul Casey downed South Africa's Charl Schwartzel 4&3 in the only matchup of 2-0 players while Jon Rahm downed fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia 6&4.

"I didn't take the chances I had," Garcia said. "I made a couple stupid mistakes and got too far behind and Jon is not the kind of player that is going to give away holes."

Schwartzel birdied the first hole to seize the lead over Casey, but the Englishman squared the match with a par at the fourth and never trailed again.

"We're only three victories from getting into a final. I've been there a couple of times before. I would dearly love to win this thing," said Casey, who lost the 2009 final to Aussie Geoff Ogilvy and the 2010 final to England's Ian Poulter.

In the round of 16, Mickelson will face Australia's Marc Leishman while Casey meets Japan's Hideto Tanihara and Rahm plays American Charles Howell, who survived a three-man playoff to advance.

Several sudden-death playoffs were needed to decide who advanced after deadlocks in group play.

American Kevin Na birdied the first playoff hole to down England's Matthew Fitzpatrick and book a last-16 date with compatriot Bill Haas, who birdied the sixth playoff hole to defeat South Korea's K.T. Kim.

Leishman, last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational winner, birdied the second playoff hole to advance over England's Lee Westwood and American Pat Perez.

Howell birdied the fifth playoff hole to beat Spain's Rafael Cabrera Bello. England's Tyrell Hatton had dropped out after the first extra hole with a double bogey after calling a two-stroke penalty on himself.

World number two Rory McIlroy, already eliminated by Dane Soren Kjeldsen, rallied to halve with Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.

"It's odd whenever you have nothing to play for," McIlroy said. "I guess that's both of our faults. We didn't win our matches on the first day."

Kjeldsen will next face American William McGirt while other knockout openers match Sweden's Alex Noren and American Brooks Koepka plus two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and England's Ross Fisher.

Results from Friday's third day of round robin group matches at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin (Texas) Country Club (USA unless noted):

Group 1

Dustin Johnson bt Jimmy Walker 5&3

Martin Kaymer (GER) bt Webb Simpson 3&2

Group 2

Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) bt Gary Woodland by withdrawal

Emiliano Grillo (ARG) and Rory McIlroy (NIR) halved

Group 3

Lee Westwood (ENG) bt Pat Perez 2&1

Marc Leishman (AUS) bt Jason Day (AUS) by withdrawal

Group 4

Ross Fisher (ENG) bt Jim Furyk 4&2

Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) bt Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 6&4

Group 5

Hideto Tanihara (JPN) bt Yuta Ikeda (JPN) 3&1

Ryan Moore and Jordan Spieth halved

Group 6

Chris Wood (ENG) bt Kevin Na 2&1

Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) bt Justin Thomas 2&1

Group 7

Jon Rahm (ESP) bt Sergio Garcia (ESP) 6&4

Kevin Chappell bt Shane Lowry (IRL) 1 up

Group 8

Alex Noren (SWE) bt Francesco Molinari (ITA) by withdrawal

Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) bt Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 1 up

Group 9

Kevin Kisner bt Jason Dufner 2&1

Brooks Koepka bt Patrick Reed 1 up

Group 10

Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP) bt Tyrell Hatton (ENG) 2&1

Charles Howell bt Wang Jeung-Hun (KOR) 2&1

Group 11

Bill Haas bt Kim Kyung-Tae (KOR) 4&2

Danny Willett (ENG) bt Russell Knox (SCO) 4&2

Group 12

Paul Casey (ENG) bt Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 4&3

Joost Luiten (NED) bt An Byeong-Hun (KOR) 1 up

Group 13

Bubba Watson and Thomas Pieters halved

Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) bt Scott Piercy 3&1

Group 14

Phil Mickelson bt J.B. Holmes 6&5

Kim Si-Woo (KOR) bt Daniel Berger 1 up

Group 15

Brandt Snedeker bt Branden Grace (RSA) 5&4

William McGirt bt Andy Sullivan (ENG) 1 up

Group 16

Zach Johnson bt Brendan Steele 1 up

Matt Kuchar bt Tommy Fleetwood 4&2

Pairings for Saturday's Round-of-16 knockout matches at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin (Texas) Country Club:

Kevin Na (USA) v Bill Haas (USA)

Marc Leishman (AUS) v Phil Mickelson (USA)

Jon Rahm (ESP) v Charles Howell (USA)

Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) v William McGirt (USA)

Hideto Tanihara (JPN) v Paul Casey (ENG)

Ross Fisher (ENG) v Bubba Watson (USA)

Alex Noren (SWE) v Brooks Koepka (USA)

Dustin Johnson (USA) v Zach Johnson (USA)

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