Montgomerie out of Match Play
Colin Montgomerie crashed out of the Accenture Match Play Championship tonight.
The 59th seed's fairytale run ended after he had no answer to American Stewart Cink in their third-round match at Dove Mountain.
They were all square at the turn, but Cink took the lead for good with a birdie at the par-five 10th and pulled away, rolling in a 15-footer at the 16th hole to deliver the final blow, winning emphatically four and two.
"Sometimes you can't explain golf," said Cink. "I didn't really feel I had control of my ball today off the tee and I think Colin would agree with that.
"It was ugly but I scrambled my rear end off and made a lot of good putts."
Paul Casey trailed all the way in his game, but at least made a match of it, extending KJ Choi to the very end before the Korean prevailed two-up.
The only European through to the quarter-finals is defending champion Henrik Stenson, who survived another tight battle.
Less than 24 hours after being taken to seven extra holes, Henrik Stenson got the job done in regulation, but only just, edging American Jonathan Byrd one-up.
Stenson has won all three of his matches by the narrowest of margins and said: "I've managed to get out of a few situations Houdini-style.
"Of course, you don't want to put yourself, coming up 18, all square too many times, because sooner or later you're going to lose a match.
"But I can only do my best and try to make the shots and take whatever comes out of it. It's been working so far."
The Swede earned a quarter-final match against American Woody Austin, who was too good for compatriot Boo Weekley, winning four and two.
Stenson joked that Byrd had won his first two matches so easily that he had not even seen the final few holes.
"I thought if I could make it past 14 he might be a little confused by the last couple of holes," Stenson said.
In another of today's matches, Angel Cabrera, the US Open champion from Argentina, used his prodigious power to give American Steve Stricker a four-and-three hiding in the World Golf Championships event.
American Justin Leonard beat Australian Stuart Appleby three and two, while top seed Tiger Woods went to extra holes after being locked all square with Australian Aaron Baddeley at the end of regulation.
