Thomas/Spieth beat Woods/McIlroy 3-and-2 to win The Match

The Match returned for its seventh iteration Saturday with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth emerging with a 3-and-2 victory over Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy under the lights at Pelican Golf Club.

Thomas and Spieth raced out to an early 3-up lead after four holes and never looked back, closing things out on the 10th hole after a comfortable birdie.

Here's a hole-by-hole report of the star-studded event from Tampa:

No. 1

It certainly looks like the darkness of the course will play a factor tonight at The Match. All four players just missed the green off the tee, but Thomas and Woods came clutch for their respective partners, as both groups recorded a birdie on the short par 4. Thomas nestled his eagle chip next to the hole for a short birdie putt that was conceded, while Woods drained a straightforward putt for his own birdie. Score through 1: Tied

No. 2

The next par 4 added a little bit more variety to the shots. McIlroy made it to the green in two and put his third shot within a foot of the hole to get a conceded par. It looked likely to be another tied hole, but Thomas had other ideas. The PGA champion came up big, nailing his birdie from long range to give him and Spieth the edge. Score through 2: Thomas/Spieth 1-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 3

The third hole marked what could be trouble for Woods and McIlroy, neither of whom found a birdie at the par 3. While Thomas couldn't make back-to-back winning putts for his team, Spieth was able to make his own clutch putt to build upon the duo's lead. Score through 3: Thomas/Spieth 2-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 4

After a dominant opening three holes at The Match, not even a one-club challenge could slow Thomas and Spieth down. Each player was required to select one club to play the entire hole with, and Thomas' 5-wood proved to be the best choice, as he was able to get up-and-down for par to win No. 4. Wit the result, the two 29-year-olds continue to improve their lead over McIlroy and Woods. Score through 4: Thomas/Spieth 3-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 5

The second par 3 of The Match gave a slight sign of hope for McIlroy and Woods, who were able to put an end to a consecutive losing streak. It was down to the Northern Irishman to attempt to rein in the younger pair's 3-up lead after everyone else failed to make their birdie putts. Instead, McIlroy's relatively short chance for birdie lipped out, and he would match Thomas, who was already in for par. Score through 5: Thomas/Spieth 3-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 6

As we reached the halfway point of the 12-hole exhibition, McIlroy and Woods still couldn't cut away at their competitors' lead. However, Spieth and Thomas did make things interesting on the green at the par-4 hole. After telling McIlroy that his par putt would be conceded at the very last minute, Thomas missed a much shorter birdie putt that would've given his team a commanding 4-up lead. Instead, they remain 3-up after another tied hole. Score through 6: Thomas/Spieth 3-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 7

The first par 5 of The Match was exactly what McIlroy and Woods needed, and it potentially marks the beginning of a momentum change. McIlroy was finally able to drain a long birdie putt to win the hole and give his team its first point of the exhibition. That cut Thomas and Spieth's lead down to just two with five holes left. Score through 7: Thomas/Spieth 2-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 8

A par 3 with a tricky water hazard proved to be no match for the red-hot duo of Thomas and Spieth. Spieth and McIlroy landed their tee shots just off the green and were unable to hole their birdie chances, meaning it came down to Woods and Thomas. Both players had similar distance for birdie, with the 46-year-old up first. After Woods failed to make, Thomas capitalized and holed his effort to move his team's lead back to 3-up. Time is beginning to run out for McIlroy and Woods. Score through 8: Thomas/Spieth 3-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 9

They were close, but neither Woods nor McIlroy could drain their much-needed birdie putts to win the par-3 ninth. Instead, they both accepted conceded pars and remain 3-down to Spieth and Thomas. Woods and McIlroy are now in a must-win position to keep the match alive. Score through 9: Thomas/Spieth 3-up over McIlroy/Woods

No. 10

Thomas and Spieth looked solid through all nine holes before this point, and the 10th was no different. After McIlroy made birdie, Thomas and Spieth each had a chance to drain their own to tie the hole and win the match - but it'd only take one. Spieth stepped up and knocked in his putt, sealing the deal before the 11th hole. Final score: Thomas/Spieth 3&2 over McIlroy/Woods