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Marc Leishman is excited by his form going into the Masters after cementing his status as the form Australian with a solid performance at the World Golf Championships-Match Play in Texas.

The only Australian with a US PGA Tour victory this season, Leishman was the last Aussie standing at the $US10.25 million ($A14.4m) WGC-Match Play in Texas.

Two-time WGC-Match Play winner Jason Day and fellow Queenslander Cameron Smith failed to advance from the group stage while 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott was one of just two big names to skip the event.

Leishman, who won the US PGA Tour's CIMB Classic in Malaysia in October, topped his group with three victories but was eliminated by South African Louis Oosthuizen 2 and 1 in Saturday's round of 16 at Austin Country Club.

However, Leishman's form at a WGC featuring 64 of the top 66 players in the world is a good sign for the Masters which starts on Thursday week.

"Contending this week was great preparation for the Masters," Leishman told AAP.

"My game feels great; it's the best I've driven it for a long time and I'm going to need that at Augusta. I'm also putting well.

"Everything is trending in the right direction and hopefully I can convert that into a good result at Augusta.

"The main thing is I'm turning up to the golf course feeling I can contend."

Leishman was loathe to make any excuses for his exit at the hands of 2010 British Open winner Oosthuizen but admitted winning the WGC could be considered peaking too early.

"Obviously, this was not the result I was after ... but it leaves me wanting for more going to the Masters," Leishman said.

"If you win this, you may not have the same determination at Augusta."

Matt Kuchar downed 2017 Master champion Sergio Garcia to book a semi-finals clash with unheralded Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, while in-form Italian Francesco Molinari will meet Kevin Kisner for a place in the final.

Bjerregaard beat Tiger Woods when Woods flubbed a pitch shot into greenside bunker on the 18th hole and subsequently missed a four-foot par putt - handing Bjerregaard a one-up victory.

An injured Jason Day says an extra few days preparing for the Masters at Augusta National is the silver lining to his shock early exit from the World-Golf Championships in Texas.

Day, a two-time event winner, was already guaranteed elimination before his loss to Phil Mickelson in Friday's dead-rubber match at Austin Country Club.

Three straight losses was not what the Australian former world No.1 wanted from his last event before the Masters, starting April 11.

It is the third time Day has lost all three pool matches since the event adopted a round robin format in 2015.

However, his 0-3 record at the 2017 edition was due to an early withdrawal to spend time with his cancer-stricken mother.

Day said he's focusing on the fact he now has extra time to practise and rehabilitate the back injury he aggravated during his first-round loss to 48-year-old Jim Furyk.

The 31-year-old received intense treatment on Wednesday night and appeared in pain during the next two losses to Henrik Stenson and Mickelson.

"It actually gives me a couple more days to rest up for Augusta, which is the main thing I'm trying to focus on right now," Day told AAP.

Day has a history of back injuries which resurfaced when he was forced to withdraw mid-round from the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, citing a partially torn disc.

He subsequently tied for eighth at the following week's Players Championship, before missing the cut at last week's Valspar Championship.

The WGC-Match Play was a rare fourth consecutive week of competition for Day.

Day will spend the next week receiving treatment on his back and sharpening his game ahead of the year's first major championship at Augusta National.

"I have to stay focused on getting myself ready for Augusta," Day said.

"I'll take a couple days off to get everything settled, but then start to work my game into major championship shape."

Marc Leishman credits an emergency swing tune-up from long-time Australian coach Denis McDade for his unbeaten form at the $US10.25 million World Golf Championships-Match Play in Texas.

Leishman easily accounted for Bryson DeChambeau in Friday's third round at Austin Country Club, beating the American star 5 and 4.

His third straight match win earned him a ticket to Saturday's round of 16.

Leishman put his perfect record down to McDade, who remained in the US after the world No.18 missed the cut at the recent Players Championship.

The Victorian admitted he "couldn't make contact with the centre of the clubface" at Florida's TPC Sawgrass and needed a quick tutorial.

"At the Players, I didn't have a clue where it was going. I was hitting everything thin ... Denis has coached me for 18 years. He saw an issue straight away and fixed it within half an hour," Leishman said.

"My stance was too narrow and that had moved my ball position and I was hitting them thin."

Leishman is confident of going deep at the $US10.25 WGC-Match Play.

He now faces 2010 British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen in the first knockout round and knows the South African's match play pedigree makes him a threat.

"Louis is a great player, so it's going to be a tough match," Leishman said.

Leishman was the only Australian to make it out of the pool stage, with Jason Day and Cameron Smith out of contention before their third rounds began.

Both had lost their opening two pool clashes to seal their fate.

Former world No.1 Day, a two-time WGC-Match Play winner, lost his dead-rubber clash with Phil Mickelson while Smith fell 4 and 3 to England's Paul Casey.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will meet in a made-for-television match on Saturday morning.

Woods holed out from the fairway for a stunning eagle at the par-4 13th during his 4-and-2 win over American youngster Patrick Cantlay.

Four-time major winner McIlroy, the 2015 WGC-Match Play winner, defeated England's Matthew Fitzpatrick 4 and 2.

ROUND OF 16 MATCHES

Lucas Bjerregaard vs Henrik Stenson

Rory McIlroy vs Tiger Woods

Matt Kuchar vs Tyrrell Hatton

Branden Grace vs Sergio Garcia

Marc Leishman vs Louis Oosthuizen

Haotong Li vs Kevin Kisner

Francesco Molinari vs Paul Casey

Justin Rose vs Kevin Na

Tiger Woods has ignited the World Golf Championships-Match Play with a stunning hole-out eagle from the fairway during a third-round win, booking a dream showdown with Rory McIlroy in Texas.

Woods was two down to American youngster Patrick Cantlay after eight holes, before winning one back and then summoning his brilliant best with a long birdie putt at the 11th to square the match.

The three-time WGC-Match Play winner won the par-5 12th before holing out his second shot from 82 yards at the par-4 13th.

Given Woods had the honour on the 13th tee, which is a driveable par 4 over water, he said the decision to lay up with an iron was a tactical move.

"I laid up to make sure that I put pressure on (Cantlay) on that tee shot, if he was going to go for it," Woods said.

"I knew I needed to put (the approach on the green) to at least have a chance at three and force him to have a good pitch shot.

"(My second) landed pin-high, skipped back and spun back towards the hole and it worked out nice."

Woods won the next hole and the par-5 16th to earn a 4 and 2 victory, and a direct passage to Saturday's round of 16.

The 43-year-old will now face four-time major winner McIlroy in the first round of elimination, teeing off 8.30am (local time).

"We've played tournaments together, battled each other down the stretch, but never in a match-play situation, so this will be fun," Woods said.

McIlroy advanced from his group with a 4 and 2 win over England's Matthew Fitzpatrick and was similarly excited for the showdown against 14-time major winner Woods.

"It's awesome for the tournament, I think," McIlroy said.

"Tiger being here for the first time and getting through to the weekend and having a match up with someone like myself is cool."

Jason Day admits his injured back started to feel better during a comprehensive loss to Henrik Stenson on day two at the World Golf Championships-Match Play, which ensured the Australian will not make it out of the group stage.

Day has a history of back injuries which resurfaced when he was forced to withdraw mid-round from the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, citing a partially torn disc.

He posted a creditable tie for eighth at the Players Championship two weeks ago but Day's back ailment flared up again during his upset first-round loss to 48-year-old Jim Furyk on Wednesday.

Day received intense treatment immediately after the loss to Furyk before getting through 15 holes at Austin Country Club on Thursday.

Former world No.1 Day was no match for former British Open winner Stenson and cannot advance to the round of 16 on Saturday.

Day was clearly frustrated at his back preventing him from going deep at the match play event he won in 2014 and 2016.

But with the Masters at Augusta National two weeks away, it is a positive sign Day was able to continue playing at the 64-man tournament.

"Yesterday was more disappointing than today," Day told AAP.

"After (aggravating the back injury) I was just focused on playing some decent golf today and seeing where my game was at."

Stenson will face off with Furyk on Friday with the winner advancing to the knockout phase.

"I know his back is a bit fragile at times and he's had issues in the past," he said of Day.

"He didn't complain (of any pain) but I hope he can get it sorted as soon as possible."

Although Day only played six holes before withdrawing from the Palmer event three weeks ago, he contested the Players the following week before last week's Valspar Championship.

The WGC-Match Play is a rare fourth consecutive week of competition for Day.

"For me to to hurt it before Bay Hill when I had a few tournaments coming up, even though I had some injections around my spine, made it tough to keep the body going," he said.

Day now has a dead-rubber match against five-time major winner Phil Mickelson in Friday's third round.

Mickelson also lost his first two matches and will join Day in exiting the $10.25 million ($A14.4m) WGC event regardless of the result of their match.

Two hard-fought wins at the World Golf Championships-Match Play have ensured Marc Leishman a safety net as he prepares for a showdown with Bryson DeChambeau.

Lower-ranked opponent Russell Knox, from Scotland, took world No.18 Leishman to the 18th hole at Austin Country Club but the Australian secured a two-up victory.

Leishman is in the driver's seat in his group with two points, backing up his day one win over Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

The Victorian now faces world No.6 DeChambeau on Friday needing only to halve the match to advance to Saturday's round of 16.

Even if he loses to American DeChambeau, who has one point, Leishman is guaranteed a sudden-death play-off to try and advance to the first round of elimination.

But 35-year-old Leishman says he won't be complacent knowing DeChambeau has won four PGA Tour titles in the past nine months.

"I guess there is a safety net but I won't be thinking about that; I will be approaching the match as if I have to win to get through," Leishman told AAP.

"Bryson is a great player and he has showed that over the past couple years. I'll have to be on my game to beat him.

"He has a lot to play for and will be a tough opponent. I really don't want to have to go to a playoff, so it would be nice to take care of that in 18 holes."

Leishman's fellow Australians Cameron Smith and Jason Day, however, are guaranteed not to make it out of their respective groups.

Day, a two-time WGC-Match Play winner, and Smith each suffered a second straight loss - ensuring the Queenslanders cannot advance to the knockout phase despite having to play Friday's third-round matches.

Former world No.1 Day lost his first hole to Swede Henrik Stenson and never recovered during a 4 and 3 loss to the former British Open champion.

Day aggravated a back injury in his round-one defeat to 48-year-old Jim Furyk but still has to play five-time major winner Phil Mickelson.

Smith lost 3 and 2 to Abraham Ancer, the reigning Australian Open champion from Mexico, and will face off against pool rival Paul Casey on Friday.

Casey halved his match with Charles Howell III and the pair lead their group with 1.5 points.

Day and Smith were among 20 players eliminated from the event before Friday's third round.

Three-time WGC-Match Play winner Tiger Woods was beaten 2 and 1 by Brandt Snedeker, while 2015 winner Rory McIlroy bagged a second point with a 3 and 2 win over Justin Harding.

Sergio Garcia downed Andrew Putnam 5 and 4 while Jordan Spieth defeated Kevin Na 3 and 2.

Jason Day's Masters campaign is under a fresh injury cloud after a back problem flared during an upset first-round loss to Jim Furyk at the World Golf Championships-Match Play.

The 48-year-old Furyk defeated Day two-up but the Australian former world No.1 was noticeably troubled in the last few holes at Austin Country Club on Wednesday.

He received medical treatment on his back immediately after the match and is a concern, not only for the remainder of the match play event in Texas but also the Masters at Augusta National in two weeks.

Day is scheduled to face former British Open winner Henrik Stenson in Thursday's second round in Texas.

The latest issue comes three weeks after Day withdrew mid-round from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to pain related to an annular disc tear.

He walked off the course after just six holes at that event and received four cortisone injections around his spine later that night.

However, he was able to contest the Players Championship the following week and tied for eighth.

Day, the 2014 and 2016 WGC-Match Play winner, blew a three-hole front-nine lead in his loss to American veteran Furyk which included a three-putt to lose the 17th hole and an uncharacteristically flubbed pitch shot into a greenside bunker to lose the 18th hole and the match.

Day's agent was contacted for commented.

Countryman Marc Leishman got off to a winning start with a two-up victory over Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Leishman was motivated by a damning statistic for first-round losers at the WGC-Match Play since it adopted a round-robin format from 2015.

"I read something yesterday that in history of this format, only eight guys have lost the first match and progressed through the group stage," said Leishman, whose round two clash is against Russell Knox.

Fellow Australian Cameron Smith capitulated after he had built a two-up lead over Charles Howell III through 12 holes.

He hit his tee shot into the water hazard at the driveable par-4 13th to lose the hole and dropped the next three to hand his American opponent a 2 and 1 victory.

Smith faces Australian Open champion Abraham Ancer on day two.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods made a successful if unspectacular return to the event with a 3 and 1 victory over 22-year-old Aaron Wise.

NOTABLE DAY ONE RESULTS AT WGC-MATCH PLAY

Dustin Johnson def Chez Reavie, 4 and 3

Justin Rose def Emiliano Grillo, 2 and 1

Lucas Bjerregaard def Justin Thomas, 3 and 2

Jon Rahm def Si Woo Kim, 7 and 5

Sergio Garcia def Shane Lowry, 4 and 2

Paul Casey def Abraham Ancer, 5 and 3

Francesco Molinari def Satoshi Kodaira, 5 and 4

Kevin Na def Bubba Watson, 1 up

Tiger Woods says he could feel his match play experience return quickly during a round-one victory against big-hitting youngster Aaron Wise at the World Golf Championships event in Texas.

Although the pair traded the lead several times, Woods hung on to defeat Wise 3 and 1 at Austin Country Club at the 64-player WGC-Match Play.

Before Wednesday, Woods had not played an official one-on-one match since the final day of last year's Ryder Cup when he lost to Spain's Jon Rahm.

Although their match was scrappy, three-time WGC-Match Play winner Woods believed his experience in the one-on-one format came to the fore.

"Well, I won the match, even though it wasn't exactly the best of golf from both of us," Woods said.

"But it felt good to be out here. I haven't done it in this event in a while."

The 43-year-old Woods, who has not played the WGC-Match Play since 2013, earned his 34th match victory at the event when he defeated the 22-year-old Wise.

Wise admitted nerves were high on the first tee for his first time playing with 80-time PGA Tour winner Woods.

"I really respect what (Woods) has done in the game and it was pretty cool to be able to watch him compete today and be alongside of him," Wise said.

Woods led for the first eight holes but stumbled around the turn to go from two up to one down with eight holes remaining.

But he won three of his last five holes to close out the match.

"It was an emotional round because there weren't a lot of halved holes," Woods said.

The 14-time major winner Woods faces an old rival in Brandt Snedeker on day two, but will be buoyed by an incredible head-to-head record.

Although Woods has never played 38-year-old American Snedeker in match play, he has outscored him in 12 of the 13 US PGA Tour rounds in which they've been paired together.

"We have always been great friends and it's going to be fun to play against Sneds," Woods said.

"He's a wonderful putter and in this format that's what you need to do."

Tiger Woods says he is not concerned about the potential for seven matches in five days at the World Golf Championships-Match Play, despite having four back surgeries since he last played the event in 2013.

Woods will make his long-awaited return to the WGC-Match Play, held at Austin Country Club in Texas this week, but has never played the round-robin format adopted in 2015.

The 43-year-old won the WGC-Match Play three times during its one-and-done era but now the event sees each of the 64 competitors play three group matches before the knockout phase begins.

The round of 16 and quarter finals are crammed into Saturday, with the semi-finals and final on Sunday.

Having pulled out from the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational with a neck strain, some were concerned for Woods playing too much golf on a hilly course two weeks out from the Masters.

"Well, it's not flat, I'll tell you that. It's a good walk," Woods said about Austin CC after a Tuesday practice round.

The 14-time major winner admitted he seldom played the volume of golf on offer at WGC-Match Play, where the two finalists will each play seven matches.

"It will be new for me; when I'm at home, I'm in a cart on flatter ground and (I) can play 36 holes in three-and-a-half hours," he said.

"Hopefully I can play well enough to get to the finals."

Also in unchartered territory is University of Texas alumnus Jordan Spieth, who at 28th is taking his lowest seeding into the event.

The three-time major winner has slid down the world rankings and hasn't won since his British Open triumph in July 2017.

The former world No.1 is yet to earn a top-25 result in 2019 and hasn't posted a top 10 since last year's Open.

Woods begins his campaign against Aaron Wise while Spieth takes on fellow American Billy Horschel.

Rory McIlroy, the 2015 WGC-Match Player winner, is up against big hitter Luke List while world No.1 Dustin Johnson will face Chez Reavie.

The WGC-Match Play has a $US10.25 million ($A14.4m) purse, with a winner's prize of $US1.74m ($A2.5m), and this week features 64 of the top 66 on the world rankings.

Jason Day believes a "frustrating" Phil Mickelson is the biggest hurdle to overcome if he wants to advance from a star-studded group at the $10.25 million ($A14.4m) World Golf Championships-Match Play in Texas.

Day's quest to add to his 2014 and 2016 WGC-Match Play titles was made considerably difficult when he drew veteran major winners Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Jim Furyk for the group stage at Austin Country Club.

Five-time major winner Mickelson has a tendency to hit wayward drives but is regarded as having one of sport's greatest short games, often saving par from tough positions.

Former world No.1 Day's clash with the 48-year-old left-hander is not until Friday, his last pool match, but the Queenslander is already preparing for a round that will test his nerves.

"Phil can be frustrating because you think he's out of the hole (after an errant drive) but he never is," Day told AAP on Tuesday.

"Stenson and Furyk are straight hitters and aren't going to make too many mistakes.

"But Phil is tough because you have to assume your opponent is never out of the hole and with guys who don't always hit the fairway it's easy to be overconfident."

However, Day is an intimidating WGC-Match Play opponent courtesy of his world-class short game.

He has won 22 matches and lost 11 in eight appearances, although three losses were because he withdrew from the 2017 edition to be with his cancer-stricken mother.

"Match play is a good format for me; it's stressful and kicks you into survival mode," Day, who can become just the second Australian after Geoff Ogilvy to win three WGC events, said.

"I've always used my short game to frustrate opponents but it will need to be sharper than it has been so far this year."

World No.18 Marc Leishman has also been dealt a tough assignment with his group containing Bryson DeChambeau, a winner of four PGA Tour titles in the past nine months, Thailan'ds Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Russell Knox.

"Bryson has been playing great but, with the top 64 players in the world, everyone here is a great player and I know I have to be on my game to get through," Leishman said.

Cameron Smith was the last Australian standing at the 2018 WGC-Match Play, claiming victory over Hideki Matsuyama en route to the quarter-finals.

"I like the battle about match play; in stroke play I tend to start too slowly whereas match play I'm fired up from the start," Smith said.

HOW THE WGC-MATCH PLAY WORKS

FORMAT: 64 players are seeded into 16 groups of four. Each golfer plays three pool matches between Wednesday and Friday, with the winner from each group advancing to Saturday's round of 16.

FINALS: Round of 16 and quarter finals played on Saturday; semis and final played on Sunday.

DAY ONE AUSTRALIAN MATCHES: Jason Day vs Jim Furyk; March Leishman vs Kiradech Aphibarnrat; Cameron Smith vs Charles Howell III