AUSTIN, Texas — For those who think format and venue don’t matter on the PGA Tour, and that talent will always prevail, look no further than the final four of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club as a well-sourced rebuttal.
Start with Kevin Kisner, who won this event in 2019 and was a runner-up the year before that. Throw in Dustin Johnson, who took home the 2017 title. And then sprinkle in a little Texas flavor with Scottie Scheffler, who has now reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
While others with higher world rankings have struggled to reach the final day at this event, Kisner, Johnson, and Scheffler have made a habit of returning on Sundays.
In fact, the only semifinalist who hasn’t been in a previous edition’s final match is Corey Conners, who — despite being raised in Canada, playing collegiately in Ohio, and now living in Florida — picked up his only PGA Tour win just an hour south in San Antonio.
So while Sunday’s bracket offers fans new permutations, the formula components are largely the same.
WGC: Sunday tee times, how to watch
Johnson, the No. 8 seed, smashed the dream of English journeyman Richard Bland in the opening round, snuffing out Bland’s hopes of wrapping up a Masters debut by virtue of a 3-and-2 decision.
He then kicked up an old rivalry with former pal Brooks Koepka, storming back from 2 down to win and earn a date with Scheffler.
“I like this golf course, but it’s all about if you’re hitting good shots, then you can shoot some good scores. I like the way I’m hitting the ball right now. I feel like I’m controlling the golf ball pretty well,” Johnson said. “I’m hitting a lot of quality golf shots and giving myself a lot of looks. That’s what you’ve got to do in match play.”
Scheffler, meanwhile, feels he’s learned a trick or two after falling in the final to Billy Horschel last year. The University of Texas product got retribution for the loss by knocking out Horschel in the Round of 16 before rolling past Seamus Power 3 and 2, using a chip-in to clinch the victory.
A walk-off chip-in to advance to the semifinals 😲
Scottie Scheffler defeats Seamus Power 3&2 and punches his ticket into the final four @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/4QY0xCAdWm
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2022
Scheffler has plenty of experience playing this Pete Dye-designed course, as the nearby Longhorns were often invited to stop by before they flew off to collegiate events. He insists it’s the perfect place for this match-play event, due to the differing nines — one that winds through the canyons and another that flirts with Lake Austin.
“I think it’s fun. You can play some aggressive golf, you can play conservative. There’s a few different ways you can kind of plot your way around here,” Scheffler said. “It gets challenging when it’s this firm and you’ve got the wind blowing. There’s some challenging holes, and you’ve got to stay pretty patient out there, I think. It’s a fun test.”
Kisner continued his incredible track record at this event, improving to 20-4-1 in the event since 2017 as he slipped by Adam Scott 1 up, then bludgeoned youngster Will Zalatoris.
And while the lone newcomer to the party, Conners, became the first Canadian to ever reach the semifinals, even he was a little astonished with the opportunity to crack into a club with the others.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. I had confidence in my game. I really like match play, feel like I’m a competitor out there. You know, I’m thrilled to be here, but there’s still lots of work to be done,” said Conners, who will square off with Kisner. “I never get too far ahead of myself, but I felt like I was playing really well, and I really liked my game.
“I felt like I was hitting the ball really well, driving it well and ironing it well, and it’s a good combination for match play, just being in every hole, giving yourself chances on every hole.”
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