Scheffler finished off an incredible week with a pair of convincing victories Sunday at Austin Country Club.
AUSTIN, Texas — When Scottie Scheffler was playing at the University of Texas, head coach John Fields would often follow the young prodigy, offering a number and some fatherly advice when it seemed appropriate.
Fields noticed that when he did so, Scheffler would often struggle, forcing something that simply didn’t come naturally.
But when Fields stayed quiet and let Scheffler visualize and execute his own shot, that’s when the magic would happen.
“He just had to see it himself,” Fields said this week. “He had to be his own person.”
On Sunday, Scheffler got to see it all himself: a third PGA Tour victory in a handful of months, a $2.1 million top prize, and the summit of an amazing hike that’s expected to see him become the No. 1 golfer in the world by virtue of his victory at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
All in the town where he cut his teeth as a collegian.
Scheffler finished off an incredible week with a pair of convincing victories, first getting 5 up on Dustin Johnson through 11 before winning 3 and 1, then rolling past match-play stalwart Kevin Kisner 4 and 3 in the final to earn the title.
The former Longhorn, who won three Big 12 Championships while attending his alma mater just a handful of miles from Austin Country Club, said confidence and consistency have been the keys to his ascent. He’s expected to jump above Jon Rahm when the Official World Golf Ranking gets updated on Monday.
Scottie Scheffler acknowledges his supporters on the 6th hole during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
“I’d say just like anything out here, you kind of have to see your own shot. I think I’ve really worked hard at being more consistent with my ball-striking since I was in college,” said Scheffler, who has won three times in five starts and has ascended with caddie Ted Scott on his bag. “In college, I kind of fought my swing a little bit, and as I’ve turned pro I feel like I’ve improved in a few aspects of my game and just gotten more comfortable. Through the work I’ve put in I’ve just gained some more confidence, and I feel like I have a lot of different shots that we can kind of use.”
In the semifinals, Scheffler squared off against 2017 champ Johnson, and captured two of the first three holes en route to a big edge. Although Johnson made a run, winning three consecutive holes to get back within striking distance, Scheffler won 16 and 17 to close out the lone major champ in the final four.
He started just as strong in the final, jumping out to a 3-up lead in the first six holes on Kisner, who has been a buzzsaw in this format, winning 22 of his previous 29 matches.
In the consolation match, Corey Conners rushed out to a 4-up lead through the first half-dozen holes and defeated Johnson, 3 and 1.
During the semifinals that short game failed him a bit at a crucial juncture of an even match.
AUSTIN, Texas — Corey Conners retreated to the driving range in an effort to lick his wounds a little. It’s probably where he’s most comfortable.
The Canadian has always carried a big stick on the PGA Tour — he’s currently eighth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee this season, the same spot he finished the last campaign — but he’s focused plenty of his energy on honing his short game. During the semifinals at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Sunday, that short game failed him a bit at a crucial juncture of an even match.
Conners missed his tee shot a little right on the 130-yard 17th hole, but still sat in prime position to put pressure on his opponent Kevin Kisner, who also missed the green and had a delicate, longer shot from up on a bank.
From about 40 feet away, Kisner rolled a beauty from the fringe that snuggled within a foot of the cup.
Conners, also using a putter from the fringe, hammered one past the hole, then missed the nine-footer coming back to fall 1 down with one to play. He missed a 12-footer for birdie on 18 and lost the match, 2 up.
“That same sort of shot tricked me yesterday, where I hammered it way by,” Conners said of his effort on No. 17 before meeting Dustin Johnson in the consolation match. “It’s hard to not hit it too hard. It’s kind of riding up a little bit when it first gets on the green — or so it seems. But it really doesn’t go up much and just kind of never lost pace. That same thing happened yesterday.
“I definitely want to have that one back.”
Corey Conners tees off on the 10th in the semifinal round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Although he would have loved to take home the $2.1 million prize at Austin Country Club, up nearly $300,000 from a year ago, Conners is also hoping to show he’s got what it takes in a high-stakes match-play format with the 2022 Presidents Cup coming over the horizon. The top eight international players are automatically selected by points, with the following four spots chosen by captain Trevor Immelman.
Coming into this week, Conners was at No. 12 on that list, meaning he’s got the resume to be included. He was snubbed last time around, in 2019, when the U.S. won for the eighth consecutive time, and he’s hoping to leave little doubt he should be included for this fall’s event at Quail Hollow.
“Obviously, it was very close, but I didn’t earn my spot on the team, and I’ll be definitely trying to do that this year. I was a little disappointed to not be there, but just kind of looked ahead, and I’m excited for the opportunity this year and the years to come,” Conners said earlier this week.
“It obviously looks good winning matches — that’s the format for the Presidents Cup. I’m not really thinking about that too much … I’m just trying to play my game, take care of business, and hopefully keep looking good for the captain.”
A Canadian flag and a U.S. flag fly from a boat in Lake Austin during the 2022 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. (Photo: Mikala Compton/American-Statesman)
Part of that looking good is improving his short game. Conners has made his strides — he was 181st in Strokes Gained: Putting for two straight seasons starting in 2018, but has climbed to a serviceable 104th this season. This week, prior to the consolation, he ranked 12th in that sta in the field of 64.
Better, if not spectacular.
Still, as he keeps getting in prime position like he did this week, winning four matches (one against Paul Casey was awarded through concession) and reaching the final four in an elite tournament, Conners thinks he’s finding the right formula.
“It feels that way. The game definitely feels good. I feel like a made a lot of strides with my short game. I’m still hitting it very well, and chipping and putting as good as I ever have now,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve done a good job this week. I left a few out there today, but this course is tricky. But I feel great about all parts of my game.”
Sunday’s bracket offers fans new permutations, but the formula components are largely the same.
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.
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.
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.”
After four days of grueling matches, it’s time to crown a winner. The final four players at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play are set to do battle Sunday at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.
Scottie Scheffler, after falling to Billy Horschel last season in the championship match, beat the Florida Gator Saturday morning, then took down Seamus Power to advance to the semifinals. If he wins Sunday, he’ll become the No. 1 player in the world.
Kevin Kisner has advanced to the semifinals for the third time since 2018 after coming from behind to beat Adam Scott and then taking care of Will Zalatoris in the afternoon.
The 2017 champion at this event, Dustin Johnson, and Corey Conners round out the final four.
Here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s fifth day of matches at the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. All times Eastern.
Four players will be left for the two semifinal matches. Winners advance to the final, while the semifinal losers will compete in a third-place match. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
Sunday afternoon
Consolation match for third place and championship match to determine the 2022 Match Play winner. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
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If it’s not the best place to watch from, it’s certainly somewhere in the running.
AUSTIN, Texas — Let’s start by saying I’m not typically one for writing first-person narratives from PGA Tour events. I’ll follow by saying I don’t know how else to tell this one.
In an effort to crack into the golf world — and isn’t everyone in that situation these days? — Austin-based Tito’s Handmade Vodka signed on as a sponsor for a number of PGA Tour events, including the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club.
Give the PR folks from Tito’s credit, they’ve concocted a number of interesting ideas to make a splash in the game — the Shortie’s Classic, for one, which was shot at nearby treasure Butler Pitch and Putt with Harold Varner III, Joel Dahmen, Pat Perez, and Harry Higgs.
But what really caught my eye was an invite to the debut of the Tito’s Bogey Boat, which was scheduled to embark this week, docking in the middle of Lake Austin beneath the Pennybacker Bridge.
For those who aren’t familiar, the Pennybacker — officially known as the Austin 360 Bridge — is the massive arch that dominates the backdrop as players tee off the short par-4 13th hole adjacent to the lake.
This has become a hotspot at the Dell for various reasons:
• First, the breathtaking lakefront views
• Second, the massive conglomerate of corporate tents that surround the fairways, one of which includes the title sponsor Dell (last year’s on-site celebrities included CEO Michael Dell and quarterback Baker Mayfield)
• And finally, unlike typical stroke-play events, the last few holes often go unplayed as players close out matches early. No. 13 still matters and is often a crucial time in each match
So I agreed to spend an hour or so on the boat, with little idea what I was getting into — and it made for a day I won’t soon forget. I invited a friend who preferred to remain nameless for this piece, since, as he told me, “I guess Fridays are technically a workday.”
Due to a number of issues with the water taxi that shuttles fans to and from the boat, the pickup point was back at Walsh Landing, a small launch site that sits five-or-so miles downriver from the boat. While that made things inconvenient, for certain, it also led to an amazing pontoon boat ride along the lake, which features some of the city’s best homes.
The Tito’s Bogey Boat was located near the Pennybacker Bridge on Lake Austin this week. (Photo by Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)
Among the massive spreads was one that looked like an entire compound, complete with a bridge that spanned a small inlet. This led to a fun exchange.
Me, looking at the amazing house on the water: “Whoa, must be Burt Reynolds or something.”
Ferry driver, not impressed with ‘Happy Gilmore’ reference: “Well … that’s Elon Musk’s house. I’m not sure how often he’s there, but it’s his.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbiXqXwLkfI/
That’s right, Musk, who recently moved his Tesla headquarters to Austin, lives just a short ride from ACC, and others informed me that Dell’s home, as well as one previously owned by Sandra Bullock, was also close by. A small piece of me expected to see Matthew McConaughey sipping a cocktail and playing his bongos while we skipped by.
Finally, we arrived at the barge, where we were greeted by a full table of local BBQ, a pair of bartenders — one on each level — and a DJ spinning the type of songs you’d expect on an 84-degree afternoon.
The tables all included a pair of binoculars and the view of the 13th was good, although not exactly good enough to aptly cover the event.
Veronica, a bartender, serves customers while watching the WGC-Dell Match Play on Friday. The Tito’s Bogey Boat was located near the Pennybacker Bridge on Lake Austin this week. (Photo by Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)
The vibe was exactly what you’d expect, a number of 20-somethings soaking up the sun, a handful of middle-aged folks like myself marveling at the fact that we’re part of this, and a stream of nearby boats with slightly overserved riders barely paying attention to the tournament unfolding just a few feet away.
I will say this —I have not been to every PGA Tour stop, although I’ve seen my fair share. Sitting on the upper deck of a barge with music, drinks, and BBQ in one of the Tour’s more iconic settings is something that sticks with a person.
Is it the best place on the entire PGA Tour to watch golf? I’m sure others will have differing opinions.
But put it on your bucket list. If it’s not the best place to watch from, it’s certainly somewhere in the running.
Abraham Ancer skipped breakfast, but they were almost still serving that meal by the time he closed out Collin Morikawa 7 and 6.
Abraham Ancer was in the final match to tee off in Saturday’s morning Round of 16 session of the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas. And yet Ancer didn’t have an appetite for pancakes or an omelette. He said he skipped breakfast before some big-game hunting. He only had a cup of coffee before taking on World No. 2 Collin Morikawa.
The coffee provided quite a jolt to Ancer’s game and the match didn’t last much longer than a cup of Joe as he crushed Morikawa 7 and 6 to advance to the Elite 8 of golf’s version of March Madness.
Ancer grabbed the lead at the third hole at Austin Country Club with a birdie and never looked back. In fact, he hasn’t trailed in any of his four matches so far this week. Morikawa had no answer for the 31-year-old Mexican who made a birdie at No. 6, the first of four straight holes he won to take a commanding 5-up lead at the turn. Ancer birdied his final four holes and now has made 11 birdies in his last 25 holes dating back to Friday’s victory over Webb Simpson.
“I just kept thinking in my head that I was down in the match and I had to fight to make birdies and it paid off,” Ancer said.
Abraham Ancer just beat Collin Morikawa 7&6.
He has not yet trailed in a match this week. He's made 11 birdies in his last 25 holes dating back to yesterday.
How did Ancer explain his dominant performance over the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year?
“Just being in the fairway and telling myself that I’m going against one of the best ball strikers in the world, maybe the best, so I had to hit the ball perfect and make some putts,” Ancer said. “Thankfully that was the case.”
The added benefit for Ancer of making short work of Morikawa was two-fold – more time to eat and rest.
“You want to save as much energy as you can,” he said. “Every time you have a chance to close out a match you want to do it as soon as possible.”
How did Ancer plan to spend his extended break before his quarterfinal duel with Corey Conners, the No. 36 seed?
“I’m going to have some lunch, keep the body moving,” Ancer said. “I don’t want to get stiff, and just get ready to go again.”
“I’m kind of getting tired of answering the same question every single week.”
AUSTIN, Texas — When asked by media members prior to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play if he’s even the least bit worried about his less-than-stellar putting statistics, World No. 1 Jon Rahm rolled his eyes in disgust, insisting the math simply doesn’t work when it comes to his Strokes Gained: Putting — which ranks 139th on the PGA Tour this season.
“I’m kind of getting tired of answering the same question every single week. When you’re No. 1 off the tee and top 10 in strokes gained approach, my putting stats are not going to be top 20. It’s absolutely impossible unless I’m winning every single week by eight. Kind of how it goes,” Rahm said on Tuesday. “Is it as good as it could be? No, but I think it shows in the stats worse than it actually feels just because I’m hitting so many greens and hitting it so good.
“Again, I feel like I’ve said it a few times. It’s not as bad as it looks. It feels a lot better than it looks. Maybe I haven’t gotten the results yet, but I’m not worried about it.”
While Rahm might be correct in insisting the math doesn’t perfectly align, he didn’t do much to help himself during the Round of 16 at Austin Country Club on Saturday morning.
The Arizona State product clawed his way back into a match with Brooks Koepka, using a birdie on No. 16 and a par on the following hole to get back even after being 2 down late in the round.
But after Koepka left a birdie putt on the 18th green just short, Rahm was left with a pressure putt of just inside nine feet to win the match and advance.
Instead, he missed the putt to the left, leaving the door open for Koepka, who then sank a spectacular birdie putt on the first extra hole to capture the win.
Koepka, who advanced into an afternoon match against 2017 champ Dustin Johnson, said it was a fitting way to end the round.
“The putter has either been making it dead in the center or leave it short and just hit a terrible putt, so just go try to figure that out right now,” Koepka said. “It feels good. I don’t think we both played that great, so it’s one of those things, just go out and figure it out now.”
Have the world’s first coed match-play tournament. Invite the top 32 ranked male and female golfers.
Tom Kite pretty much hated the idea.
Ty Votaw thought it might actually work.
Billy Horschel mulled it over and thinks it could be fun.
Even I think it’s harebrained crazy, but it’s a crazy world. How else does one explain the Kardashians?
Again, I’m not considering adding a shark’s mouth or a loop-de-loop prop to some holes on the PGA Tour, so go easy.
So here’s my brainstorm. Or brain lapse, depending on your viewpoint.
Given the runaway success of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament at Austin Country Club for the past seven years, how about staging a similar event using the same round-robin format but open up the competition?
Have the world’s first coed match-play tournament. Invite the top 32 ranked male and female golfers in the world to play intermingled in the same 64-player field just as the PGA Tour folks have now for the PGA’s Dell tourney.
So the Austin Country Club, Dell folks and PGA Tour don’t freak out, I’d recommend we keep the Dell tourney as it is and let’s get busy creating a similar event on the schedule that we’ll call, say, the Kirk Bohls-Michael Dell Coed Match Play tournament somewhere else on the calendar. Heck, I’ll even give Michael top billing. Or Elon Musk, are you a golf fan?
Imagine Lydia Ko squaring off against Jon Rahm. Jin Young Ko facing down Bryson DeChambeau. Or Nelly Korda (or anyone named Korda) versus Xander Schauffele in a battle of Olympic gold medalists from the Tokyo Games.
Hey, we seem to get these made-for-TV exhibitions every other month, whether it’s Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning beating Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady on a live broadcast on four networks drawing an average of 2.8 million viewers or you name it.
Heck, some people even watched — through squinted eyes — Charles Barkley team with Phil to beat Manning and Steph Curry. We’ve had Phil vs. Tiger and Brooks vs. Bryson, and there may be no end.
I assume NBC probably already tried to line up Brady again for another such showcase until he decided he’s still got some football left in his tank.
If we can be subjected to those silly events, why not a serious one in a true mano a mano Battle of the Sexes. For big dough.
Votaw, who is a former commissioner of the LPGA and a current PGA Tour adviser when he isn’t promoting his new bourbon brand Blue Run, was on hand for the third round of the Dell Match Play tournament on a calm, cloudless Friday. We chatted as he was in the grandstand at the first tee and took in a few of the golfers starting their third-round matches.
I wouldn’t say he fully embraced the scheme, but he far from rejected it.
So what do you think, Ty?
Collin Morikawa, left, and Sergio Garcia shake hands at the 18th green after tying during the second round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. (Photo: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports)
“Against each other?” asked the 60-year-old, who will retire from his job as the PGA’s chief marketing officer in July but remain as an adviser to PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan. Monahan could not be reached for comment about how nuts I am, and who can blame him? Or he’s already on the phone to the networks.
But his office released a statement from him that reads, “In March of 2016, the PGA Tour formalized its relationship with the LPGA with a strategic alliance agreement designed to further promote the growth of golf, and this included the potential development of joint events.”
I’m going to take that as a yes. Glad to have you on board, Jay. We’re all in favor of joint events.
But why not such a tournament? Got to think out of the box in 2022, right? The world ain’t flat, no matter what Kyrie Irving says. Think big.
Votaw seemed intrigued by the concept even though he was much more focused on Friday night’s North Carolina basketball matchup with UCLA in the Sweet 16. And is the UNC Law School grad openly rooting against Duke?
“Uh, yes,” he said. “But it’d be nice if they meet again in the Final Four. Some people would watch that, I think.”
As they would the inaugural WGC-Dell Technologies Coed Match Play event. I’m only asking for a 5% cut.
“We’re constantly trying to think of ways do (events like) that,” Votaw told me. “We’ve had a lot of conversations, and we do have a strategic alliance with the LPGA Tour. Down the road, both parties would have to be interested. It’d have to be the right format and the right date.”
There are inherent problems. We get it.
Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Fitting in an event like that in an already crowded schedule could be nightmarish. The two tours normally play on opposite coasts at the same time. When the men are on the West Coast, the women are on the East.
Votaw did say the two tours have had conversations about staging separate but equal golf tournaments concurrently at the same site, a place with 36 holes to accommodate each event. Likewise, they have discussed mixed team concepts.
Horschel, the defending champion who tied his Dell match with Thomas Pieters on Friday to become the first to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, endorsed the idea.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Horschel said. “It’s not a bad idea at all. I watch the ladies play golf all the time, and several of the girls are really, really good.”
He’s never played on an LPGA golf course set up for tournament play, and he thinks his male counterparts would probably have an advantage because he said the LPGA greens are “usually softer” than on the PGA Tour.
He avidly follows the Korda sisters, Nelly and Jessica, and says many of those on the LPGA Tour are “pretty unbelievable.”
I would imagine Monahan and new LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan will tackle this idea soon. Samaan didn’t get where she is by taking the well-traveled path from her days as athletic director at Princeton, where she was an All-Ivy ice hockey player. Yeah, she’s a get-it-done gal.
But Kite, a Hall of Famer who won 19 times, including a U.S. Open, during his brilliant career, wasn’t buying it.
“Years and years ago, they tried mixed events in the ’70s and ’80s, and it died,” Kite said during a break from watching Scottie Scheffler bury Matt Fitzpatrick 5 and 4 Friday. “I don’t think it would work. You wouldn’t get the top players.”
You would if the purse were big enough. The Tiger-Phil match purse was $9 million, although maybe that was in crypto coins.
This Coed Match Play event would have twice the appeal of a Billy Jean King-Bobby Riggs sham. King was in her prime, Riggs moved around like the Statue of Liberty in an awful performance at age 55, and the staged event in the Astrodome scored huge points for the feminist movement. Good for her and the movement.
And it did draw 90 million eyeballs — I guess actually that’d be 180 million eyeballs, give or take — worldwide, and BJK walked away with 100 large.
Hey, I still daydream about the day Serena Williams takes on Novak Djokovic in a best-of-three tennis match. I’d sure watch. And I’ll be happy to watch Candace Parker take on Steph Curry in a game of H-O-R-S-E.
So let’s put on this unique format and watch Jin Young Ko battle Jon Rahm in a matchup of No. 1 seeds on their respective tours. I’m guessing that draw would get boffo ratings in Korea and Spain.
For that matter, Koreans might steal the whole show with three top-10 LPGA golfers in the world from there as well as six in the top 20 in the world.
I don’t see how it could not be a big hit.
For now, I’ll leave the details to Jay and Mollie. You got my number. You can thank me later.
Kirk Bohls is a columnist for the Austin American-Stateman, part of the USA Today Network.
It’ll take more than an alarm to fluster Kisner, who has feasted on this event in recent years.
AUSTIN, Texas — After six holes Friday, Justin Thomas had a simple message for his opponent at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
“He told me to wake up,” Kevin Kisner recalled.
“I was 6 under after 6. He said, ‘I’m waiting on you to wake up.’ ”
It’ll take more than an alarm to fluster Kisner, who has feasted on this event in recent years. The former Georgia Bulldog feels right at home in Texas, winning 11 of his last 12 matches at Austin Country Club. He captured the title in 2019 after playing runner-up to Bubba Watson in 2018.
And Kisner, seeded 29th, rolled out to an early lead on sixth-seeded Thomas before closing out a 4-and-3 victory to advance to the Round of 16.
But the madness was largely muffled in this year’s version of the match-play tournament. Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and 2021 runner-up Scottie Scheffler were among the top seeds to advance from pool play as eight of the top 16 qualified for the weekend. In 2021, only one top seed emerged from pool play.
Not that all the golf was spectacular, however. Tyrrell Hatton won his pool after beating Daniel Berger 2 up Friday, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with his play.
“It was a hell of a pillow fight. Neither of us played great,” said Hatton, who also beat Si Woo Kim and Christiaan Bezuidenhout during the week. “To be fair, I feel like had that finished in a half, you’d have probably said it was fair. It wasn’t great golf from either of us.
“Obviously, from my side, I’m delighted that I came away with a win, to win the three matches and be progressing to the next stage of the tournament.”
Dustin Johnson tees off on the sixth during the third round of the 2022 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. (Photo: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports)
Eighth-seeded Dustin Johnson also escaped pool play unscathed, edging Max Homa 1 up on Friday after beating Matthew Wolff and Mackenzie Hughes earlier in the week.
Johnson, who won this event in 2017, has won eight straight in match play, dating back to the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. He’ll be a heavy favorite on Saturday when he matches up with 49-year-old journeyman Richard Bland.
“I’m starting to play a little better,” Johnson said. “I still haven’t really played that many events this season, so just getting back into the competition, getting back into playing. I’ve been working on the game a lot here lately, so it’s finally starting to come around. I feel like I’m hitting the shots that I want to hit when I need to hit ’em.
“I feel like the game’s in good form and obviously in match play all you have to do is play better than the guy you’re playing against.”
Since a number of the top seeds slipped through, Saturday offers plenty of marquee matches, including top-seeded Jon Rahm against Brooks Koepka as well as a rematch of last year’s final between 12th-seeded Billy Horschel and Scheffler.
Although Horschel advanced by earning a tie with Thomas Pieters, his streak of five consecutive victories came to an end. That left him six short of matching Tiger Woods, who holds the record with 13 consecutive wins in the Match Play from 2003-05. Woods also is the only player to win back-to-back Match Play titles.
“I would have loved to match his record at 13 wins,” Horschel said. “But at the same time I mean, he probably would have came back with, ‘I did it in an elimination format, which is a little more stressful,’ and even if I happen to win this week and tie him for winning back-to-back, I mean, he’s still probably going to give me a hard time about. … well, I didn’t lose any of my matches or tie any of my matches to win my two Match Play championships.
“So, you know what? It’s okay. There’s plenty of his records that are still going to be never touched and this is probably one of them.”
It’s now win or go home at the Match Play in Austin, Texas.
After three days of round-robin pool play, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is headed to the weekend. From here on in, it’s single-elimination.
Lose and go home.
The bracket at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas, started with 64 of the top 69 players in the world. Now it’s down to 16.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm is set to do battle with Brooks Koepka, who went 3-0-0 in group play. Scottie Scheffler and Billy Horschel, last season’s championship match, both made it to the weekend and will square off Saturday morning.
Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s fourth day of matches at the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. All times Eastern.
Round of 16 will have eight matches. Single elimination. Winners advance to the quarterfinals. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 10 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
Saturday afternoon
Quarterfinals for the remaining eight players. Winners advance to semifinals. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 10 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
Sunday morning
Four players will be left for the two semifinal matches. Winners advance to the final, while the semifinal losers will compete in a third-place match. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
Sunday afternoon
Consolation match for third place and championship match to determine the 2022 Match Play winner. There will be no tied matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will extend on Nos. 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary until there is a match winner.
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