Kuchar, Day finish off wins

Marana - Matt Kuchar, Jason Day and Bo Van Pelt polished off first-round victories Thursday as the WGC Match Play Championship at last got underway after a lengthy snow delay.

Kuchar had held a 3-up advantage over Japan's Hiroyui Fujita when play was suspended on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday he parred the 15th and 16th holes to complete a 3 and 2 victory.

He was to play the winner of the first-round match between Sergio Garcia and Thongchai Jaidee, which had been extended to extra holes.

Australian Jason Day also booked his second-round berth, with a 6 and 5 win over Zach Johnson.

Van Pelt defeated Australian John Senden 6 and 5, needing just one hole after Thursday's restart to end his match with a par at the par-five 13th. Senden bogeyed the hole after a tee shot into desert native area.

Play on Thursday was delayed by more than four hours as officials and golfers waited for the snow that struck on Wednesday to melt.

All but nine of the 32 matches were on the golf course Wednesday when the freak storm dropped almost two inches of snow on the Ritz Carlton Golf Club course at Dove Mountain.

World number one Rory McIlroy and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods were among those who didn't get a chance to tee off on Wednesday.

McIlroy was to take on Ireland's Shane Lowry in the first round while Woods, a three-time winner of the World Golf Championships event, took on Charles Howell.

First round scores on Thursday in the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship:

Jones Bracket

Shane Lowry (IRL) bt Rory McIlroy (NIR) 1-up
Carl Petterson (SWE) leads Rickie Fowler (USA) 1-up through 17, darkness halted play
Alexander Noren (SWE) bt Dustin Johnson (USA) 6 and 4
Graeme McDowell (NIR) bt Padraig Harrington (IRL) 2-up
Bubba Watson (USA) bt Chris Wood (ENG) 2 and 1
Jim Furyk (USA) bt Ryan Moore (USA) 4 and 2
Russell Henley (USA) bt Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 1-up
Jason Day (AUS) bt Zach Johnson (USA) 6 and 5

Hogan Bracket

Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) bt Richie Ramsay (SCO) 2 and 1
Robert Garrigus (USA) bt Branden Grace (RSA) 4 and 3
Marcus Fraser (AUS) bt Keegan Bradley (USA) 1-up
Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) bt Ernie Els (RSA) 1-up
Justin Rose (ENG) bt KJ Choi (KOR) 2 and 1
Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) bt Bill Haas (USA) 5 and 4
Sergio Garcia (ESP) bt Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 20 holes
Matt Kuchar (USA) bt Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 3 and 2

Player Bracket

Charles Howell (USA) bt Tiger Woods (USA) 2 and 1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) v Francesco Molinari (ITA) all-square through 15, darkness halted play
Webb Simpson (USA) bt David Lynn (ENG) 5 and 4
Peter Hanson (SWE) bt Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 3 and 2
Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) bt Lee Westwood (ENG) 19 holes
Martin Kaymer (GER) bt George Coetzee (RSA) 2 and 1
Richard Sterne (RSA) bt Jason Dufner (USA) 1-up
Hunter Mahan (USA) bt Matteo Manassero (ITA) 5 and 4

Snead Bracket

Luke Donald (ENG) bt Marcel Siem (GER) 1-up
Scott Piercy (USA) bt Paul Lawrie (SCO) 4 and 3
Steve Stricker (USA) bt Henrik Stenson (SWE) 5 and 4
Nick Watney (USA) bt David Toms (USA) 5 and 4
Tim Clark (RSA) bt Adam Scott (AUS) 2 and 1
Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) bt Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 3 and 2
Ian Poulter (ENG) bt Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 2 and 1
Bo Van Pelt (USA) bt John Senden (AUS) 6 and 5