Golf: Spieth and McIlroy also fail in Austin

At the World Golf Championship, endowed with ten million dollars, other industry giants dropped out after the group phase. World number four Jordan Spieth from the USA and Northern Irish top star Rory McIlroy missed out on the knockout rounds at the event in the Texas capital Austin.

The world number one Dustin Johnson (USA) also failed prematurely.

Spieth lost to his compatriot Patrick Reed at the end of the preliminary round, McIlroy had to admit defeat to Brian Harman (USA). Spain’s Sergio Garcia, defending champion at the Masters in Augusta in two weeks, made the leap into the next round with a narrow victory over outsider Xander Schauffele (USA).

The tournament will be played in match play mode. The 64 starters were divided into 16 groups, only the best made it into the knockout phase. German participants are not at the start.