Branden Grace cruised to and 5 and 4 victory over Russell Knox at the WGC-Dell match Play to set up a play-off to decide who will advance from Group 11 at Austin Country Club.
Knox, the current holder of the WGC-HSBC Champions title, had entered the final round of group matches in the box seat, knowing that a win over Grace would see him progress to the next round.
Grace was the top seed in the group, however, and he showed all his class as he eased to a comfortable win to set up a play-off with Chris Kirk.
Grace and Knox shared their first four holes but back-to-back birdies from Grace, followed by a Knox bogey, put the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters champion in command at the turn.
Knox conceded the 11th after finding the water off the tee and when Grace birdied the 13th to get to dormie five, a par on the next secured victory.
Kirk birded the first and second to go two up against David Lingmerth and never looked back in a 3 and 2 victory to join Grace on two points.
"It's been good," said Grace. "I found something on the putting stroke on the first day. Chris was just a little bit too good for me on the first day.
"It was nice. It's nice to get this golf course and three different kind of winds.
"Today is beautiful out here. It's a spectacular day. It's nice to play some good golf on a day like this.
Chris is playing some great golf, so it's going to be a tough one this afternoon - Branden Grace
The winner of the play-off will face either Adam Scott or Bill Haas in the last 16 and Haas was one up through 14 holes knowing a half would see him advance.
Thomas Pieters was two up through 14 holes against Chris Wood in the other Group 6 match.
In Group 3, Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy knew that a win against Kevin Na would see him through to the round of 16 and the match was all square through 12 holes.
Bunker trouble resulted in a double-bogey on the second which saw McIlroy go one down and a Na birdie on the fifth doubled his advantage. But the World Number Three put his tee shot on the seventh to eight feet and when he rolled in a 68-footer on the ninth, they were level at the turn.
The duo then traded birdies on the tenth and 11th.
In the dead rubber in Group 3, Thorbjørn Olesen was one up against Smylie Kaufman through 12 holes.
Zach Johnson requires just a half to advance from Group 14 and he was three up through 13 holes against Shane Lowry, but Martin Kaymer was applying some pressure by opening up a four-hole lead over Marcus Fraser.
