Nicolas Colsaerts was on the fast track.
Born in Schaerbeek, Belgium, Colsaerts took his first golf swing when he was 6 years old and had a seven handicap when he was just 10. He was on the European junior Ryder Cup team at 16 and, one year later, became the youngest golfer to succeed at qualifying school.
He was Belgium's Tiger Woods.
And then he started partying more and focusing on golf less. He turned professional in 2000 and didn't qualify for a major until 2012. He was a self-described "roadie" who often stayed in nightclubs until 7 a.m.
"Well, I don't regret any part of my story," said Colsaerts, who moved into today's third round with a 4 and 2 win over Justin Rose on Friday.
"But, yeah, you just wake up one day and realize that all these guys that you played golf with are doing stuff that you should do on any given day.
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"But, like I said, I don't regret any part of my story because I had a lot of fun."
Now he's having a different kind of fun. A golf kind of fun.
Colsaerts has his game back on track and is taking care of himself.
"I even take naps and go to bed at 10 p.m.," Colsaerts said. "I feel like I'm 60 already."
He hasn't looked it on the course recently. The 30-year-old is ranked 39th in the world and is spending his first full season in America on the PGA Tour.
He beat Bill Haas in the first round 5 and 4 and then needed just 16 holes to dispatch of Rose.
Colsaerts has proven to be a strong match play competitor, winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in May.
In that tournament, he beat Rose, Brandt Snedeker, Paul Lawrie and Graeme McDowell en route to his title.
"You keep memories about good match play confrontations," Colsaerts said.
"Having beaten Justin last year, I felt pretty confident going out knowing if I played my game, I would have a fair chance to do the job."
Defending champs
Hunter Mahan did something Friday that no defending champion in five years had done - advance to the third round.
Mahan defeated Richard Sterne 4 and 3 to become the first defending champion since Henrik Stenson in 2008 to win two matches at Match Play. Stenson finished third that year.
"Just from the tees to the greens and everything, I feel like I just have a good understanding of this place," he said.
Two other former champions advanced to the Round of 16.
Steve Stricker, the 2001 winner, beat Nick Watney in 21 holes after blowing a two-hole lead with four to play.
"I knew it was going to be tough to finish him off, too, because any time you're up with a couple to play, or four to play, the other guy has got that luxury to kinda get really aggressive," he said.
Ian Poulter, the 2010 champ, defeated Bo Van Pelt 3 and 1 to improve to 20-9 at the event. Only Tiger Woods, David Toms and Stewart Cink have won more Match Play matches.
"I think I'm probably more prepared than I've ever been," Poulter said.
Chip shots
• Jason Day moved into the third round with a 19-hole win over Russell Henley. He birdied the final hole to advance.
Day, a No. 11 seed, is looking to move past the third round for the first time in his career.
"I'm driving the ball really, really nicely," Day said. "I could tighten up the irons just a little bit, but I feel like overall my game is pretty solid right now."
• Matt Kuchar beat Sergio Garcia 2 and 1 to advance to the third round for the third straight year. Kuchar beat Bubba Watson in the consolation match in 2011 and lost to eventual champion Hunter Mahan in the quarterfinals last year.
