Phil Mickelson withdraws from Match Play in San Francisco

Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from this week’s WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship in San Francisco for personal reasons, paving the way for Finland’s Mikko Ilonen to enter.

The 44-year-old five-time major winner from San Diego admitted he was disappointed he would miss the knockout event at TPC Harding Park.

Mickelson, whose last win came with his Open Championship triumph at Muirfield in 2013, said: “I’m really happy with the new format and TPC Harding Park is a terrific setting for match play, so it’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to play this year.”

Last year’s Volvo World Match Play Championship winner Ilonen joins the field and is ranked 62 ahead of the draw.

Defending champion Jason Day is ranked seventh for this year’s event, where the world’s top 64-ranked players take part. The action which gets under way on Wednesday.

The draw for the tournament which was first introduced in 1999 takes place later on Monday.

Zurich Open

Justin Rose finished with back-to-back birdies to claim victory at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Sunday night.

It was a long day at the TPC Louisiana as the players were up early complete their third rounds after Saturday’s numerous disruptions for bad weather, but Rose was rewarded at the end of it as he finished one shot clear of Cameron Tringale on 22 under for the tournament.

It is Rose’s seventh win on the PGA Tour, and means he has won a title in each of the last six years.

“On my way to the course this morning I was thinking, 2010, 2011, 12, 13, 14, and trying to work it out,” he told Sky Sports 4 of the record. “Six years in a row is not easy to do and I’m incredibly grateful and proud of that stat.”

This tournament had been plagued by bad weather since a thunderstorm struck on Friday afternoon.

Play was suspended on Saturday evening with everyone still out on the course, leading to a busy Sunday.

Rose made a fast start to it as he joined Jason Day at the top of the leaderboard, finishing with a seven-under 65 to sit one shot clear of Daniel Berger and Blayne Barber.

Back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh saw Barber move into the lead as the fourth round got going, but the American soon fell out of contention, bogeying the ninth and sealing his fate with a double bogey on the 17th after finding the water off the tee.

In need of an Eagle

Jim Herman was the next to step up, making three birdies in a row on the ninth, 10th and 11th, but Rose responded with birdies on the seventh and eighth putting him one up.

Cameron Tringale, whose only professional win was at the Franklin Templeton Shootout last year, emerged as the biggest threat when he eagled the par-five seventh to join Rose at 19 under, and then nosed in front with a birdie on the eighth.

Rose, 34, missed a birdie putt by no more than an inch on the 12th to stay one shot off the lead, but roles were reversed on the 13th as Tringale bogeyed and Rose made birdie.

Rose, who finished in a tie for second place at the Masters earlier this month, stretched his lead with a birdie on the 17th but looked in trouble with a wayward second shot on the 18th.

But a wonderful chip from 41ft set him up for the birdie putt and he pumped his fist with joy when he sank it for a two-shot clubhouse lead following a round of 66.

“It was quite a big break from right to left, about a foot, so when it went in I was pumped up,” Rose said.

Rose then saw Tringale go within a few inches of a birdie putt on the 17th, leaving him in need of an eagle to force a play-off.

He had the chance with a chip from just off the green and a fine shot got within a few inches, but he had to settle for a birdie and second place with a round of 65.

Rose looked relaxed watching on from the clubhouse as Day walked to the 18th tee needing an albatross to force a play-off, and his confidence was not misplaced with Day settling for a par five and a share of fourth place.

“This is great to build on,” Rose said. “The Masters was huge, but it’s a second place. You can take a lot away from that, but to knock down those last couple of putts here, as a player you can really build on that and if I find myself in a good position in a major championship I can look back at those and take some confidence.”

Boo Weekley ended third, with Herman and Day tied for fourth.