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World number two Jon Rahm beat Keith Mitchell to keep alive his hopes of winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n The Spaniard, winner of three PGA Tour strokeplay events this season, lost to Rickie Fowler on Wednesday, but responded with a 4&3 win over Mitchell.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n He will play Billy Horschel in the final round of group matches on Friday as he bids to top group two in Austin.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, former Open champion Shane Lowry suffered an early exit.<\/span><\/p>\n Lowry’s 4&3 defeat to Mackenzie Hughes ensured he cannot qualify as one of the 16 group winners for the weekend’s knockout stages.<\/span><\/p>\n Former US Open champion Rahm effectively ended American Mitchell’s challenge with a fine run of three birdies and an eagle between the ninth and 13th holes.<\/span><\/p>\n On facing Horschel, who beat Fowler 3&2, Rahm told the Golf Channel: “Not many pairings are going to have more electricity on the course than me and Billy combined, so it should be a good one.”<\/span><\/p>\n Lowry could not recover as two bogeys in the first four holes contributed to him trailing Canadian Hughes by five after seven holes.<\/span><\/p>\n The Irishman will play Jordan Spieth on Friday, but it is Taylor Montgomery who is in control of group 12 after he beat fellow American Spieth 2&1 and now takes on Hughes in his final match.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n