Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play: Anna Nordqvist squeezes into last 16, Ireland’s Leona Maguire also through | Golf News

Ireland’s Leona Maguire went through 3-0 after seeing off South Korean Narin An 5&3; she’ll face Frenchwoman Perrine Delacour in the last 16tournament runs until Sunday with final two days live on Sky Sports Golf

Anna Nordqvist had all three of her matches go the distance, and only a clutch wedge kept her from playing even more on Friday as she was among 16 players who advanced out of group play in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play.

Nordqvist would have faced a three-way playoff if she lost to Andrea Lee, and that appeared likely when the Swede hit into the creek in front of the 18th green at Shadow Creek while Lee was on the green some 50 feet from the hole.

Nordqvist, the top seed in her group, hit a wedge that caught the back slope and settled three feet away, before Lee three-putted for bogey to halve the match and send Nordqvist (2-0-1 in group play) into the weekend.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire went through 3-0 after seeing off South Korean Narin An 5&3. She’ll face Frenchwoman Perrine Delacour in the last 16.

Leona Maguire is into the last 16

Cheyenne Knight came in 2-0 in her group and only needed to halve her match against Sei Young Kim to advance. Otherwise, Knight would have faced a three-way playoff.

Kim was one up and hit just long of the green, Knight hit a sand wedge from 85 yards and caught the slope and stopped two inches from going in for eagle. Kim then missed her chip, conceded the halve and Knight was headed to the knockout stage.

The weekend at Shadow Creek has a European flavor in a Solheim Cup year, with eight Europeans among the 16 players remaining.

Five of those players won all three of their matches in group play, including Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland, who took out Lilia Vu in the first round and never gave her another chance. Vu was the top seed in the 64-player field coming off her first major at the Chevron Championship.

The next highest seed, Brooke Henderson of Canada, lost her opening match and never recovered, while Sophia Schubert won her match to take the group.

The highest seed still alive is Celine Boutier of France (3), who went 3-0 in group play.

Only one group went to a sudden-death playoff as Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand overcame Karis Davidson.

American Alison Lee halved two matches and then faced fellow Vegas resident Danielle Kang in a group that at one point looked as if it might have a four-way playoff.

Lee seized control late, and Kang’s last hope was to play a left-handed chip because her ball was just outside a bunker. That flew the green and Lee advanced when Muni He lost to Maria Fassi.

Only seven of the top seeds in the 16 groups advanced, including Maguire, Ayaka Furue (5) of Japan, Linn Grant (8) and Maja Stark (11) of Sweden, and Carlota Ciganda (12) of Spain.

Watch the knockout stages of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play live on Sky Sports Golf this weekend. Coverage begins at 11pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

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