“Man, that’s like a dream of mine as a kid,” Burns said.
AUSTIN, Texas — As a kid growing up in Louisiana, Sam Burns spent plenty of time running around in the house of David Toms, the dad of one of his best buddies. Burns was invited on family vacations and later played baseball and golf at LSU with Carter Toms.
And one of Burns’ highlights as a kid was driving to Fort Worth, Texas, to watch Toms win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club, the last of Toms’ 13 PGA Tour victories. Burns, too, went on to win at Colonial last year in the Charles Schwab Challenge.
“Man, that’s like a dream of mine as a kid,” Burns said of winning on the same day as Toms’ victory in the debut of the PGA Tour Champions Galleri Classic on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.
“Growing up watching him play, I can remember sitting on the back of the range and just watching him hit golf balls,” Burns said. “It’s still one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen, just the way he could hit it. So straight and just like his tempo is amazing. Still is.”
Meanwhile, Burns was handling business on his end, using a barrage of birdies to defeat Cameron Young, 6 and 5, in the final event at Austin Country Club. The event is not on the PGA Tour schedule next year.
As the Galleri begins, the Dell Match Play ends its run. And the two Louisiana natives will be forever linked.
“Yeah, to be able to win on the same day is really cool,” Burns said.
The 26-year-old earned his fifth PGA Tour win Sunday at the 2023 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, the final match play event on the Tour’s schedule for the foreseeable future.
Burns outlasted a field of the Tour’s best and defeated Cameron Young, 6 and 5, to earn the top prize of $3.5 million. Young will take home $2.2 million for his runner-up efforts, with Rory McIlroy, winner of the third-place consolation match against Scottie Scheffler, earning $1.42 million. Even Scheffler will break seven figures with $1.145 million in winnings.
Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.
What’s that phrase about driving for show and … putting like Sam Burns?
AUSTIN, Texas — Earlier this month, the USGA and R&A announced plans to reduce distance at the game’s elite levels, using the golf ball to do so. Sam Burns was among the PGA Tour players to show their displeasure, the former Louisiana State star saying the move was “silly,” and insisting that fans come out to see players unleash massive drives.
“At the end of the day no matter what it is, we’re an entertainment sport and I don’t think people necessarily want to come out here and watch guys hit it shorter,” Burns said. “They enjoy watching guys go out there and hit it 350 yards.”
But what’s that phrase about driving for show and … putting like Sam Burns?
During the final playing of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club, Rory McIlroy wowed patrons with his booming driver, knocking more than a dozen drives over 350 yards.
And Burns? He didn’t see McIlroy’s gun show. He was too busy winning.
Using a white-hot putter that seemed to sink every big putt along the way, Burns rallied to take down his friend Scottie Scheffler in a scintillating semifinal matchup, then scorched his way past Cameron Young in the final, 6 and 5, to capture the title.
Burns, whose last victory came in Texas at the Charles Schwab Challenge last May, made 47 birdies along the way in an impressive showing.
In the semifinal, Burns held a 1-up lead heading into the 18th hole, and then nearly holed out a chip to close out Scheffler. But he then missed an 11-footer that would have closed out the reigning champ and Scheffler stepped up and buried a putt from just inside five feet to get the match square.
Scheffler appeared to have a line to win on the second extra hole, but missed a short putt that kept the match going. On the 21st hole of the day, Burns finally beat his friend with a curling 15-footer.
In the final, Burns got 1 down after the second hole, but that putter got hot again, and he used a wild run of long putts — including a 20-footer on No. 8, a 12-footer on No. 10 and a 24-footer on No. 12 —. All told, Burns made eight birdies in the last 10 holes, closing out Young on the 13th hole.
“My putter was really good today,” Burns said. “I’ve been putting it well all week and I knew that if we could just get the ball in position, give ourselves lots of chances, hopefully they would go in.”
Burns is now just one of six players with five victories in the last three years, joining McIlroy, Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm and Max Homa. Still, he had been unhappy with his play leading up to this week.
“Professional golf is hard. It’s not easy at times and I’ve been really struggling with my golf swing,” Burns said. “I just didn’t quite have the command that I wanted. Wasn’t able to hit some of the shots that I usually am able to. So a huge thank you to my coach Brad, he’s just been rock solid and helped me a lot.”
Meanwhile, Young knew he’d run into a buzzsaw in Burns, but was happy with his performance in his debut at the event. Young is in a similar position to the one Scheffler was 18 months ago, as the former Wake Forest star has been a runner-up six times in 37 PGA Tour starts.
“All I can take away is that I played really well. Just thankful to get myself all the way here,” Young said. “I feel like I had a bunch of really tough opponents and just ran into Sam Burns playing really well today. We all know he’s one of the best players in the world, and when he’s on top of it, he might be the best player in the world. Today he was against me. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. I’m playing really well, so I’m just looking forward to the next few weeks.”
In the consolation match, McIlroy edged Scheffler, 2 and 1.
The course is in perfect shape, with ACC head pro Dale Morgan telling Golfweek it’s probably the best it’s been during the seven-year run at the Pete Dye-designed track.
The event’s spot on the 2024 schedule, which is typically in late March on the back end of the Florida Swing, is expected to be filled by the Cadence Bank Houston Open, unless it prefers a date in the late April/early May timeframe instead as part of a shuffling of events.
The semifinals certainly weren’t lacking star power this year as Rory McIlroy met Cameron Young and reigning champ Scottie Scheffler squared off with his friend Sam Burns.
Here’s a look at how the final day has played out (with most recent updates at the top).
After four busy days in Austin, Texas, it’s time to crown a winner of the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club.
After Saturday’s Round of 16 and quarterfinals, four players remain: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns and Cameron Young.
Scheffler is looking to defend a title for the second time this season (WM Phoenix Open). Tiger Woods (surprise) is the last player to defend two or more times in one season (four).
After the semifinals, the two advancing players will face off in the finals while the two losers will be matched up in the third-place battle.
Here’s the information for the two Final 4 matches on Sunday including tee times and how-to-watch information.
The two play a lot of golf, have recently been pickleball teammates, and even sometimes stay together on the road.
AUSTIN, Texas — The last time Sam Burns won a PGA Tour event he had to stave off one of his best buddies to do so, using a birdie on the first extra hole of a playoff to beat Scottie Scheffler in the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth ‘s Colonial Country Club.
If Burns is going to add to his win total, he’ll have to knock off Scheffler one more time, again in a Texas pressure cooker.
Burns and Scheffler each scored a pair of victories during Saturday’s action at the final WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, and the two good friends will meet up in Sunday’s semifinals at Austin Country Club.
In last year’s playoff, Burns buried a 38-foot putt from off the green to edge his friend and claim the title. And even though the two play a lot of golf, have recently been pickleball teammates, and even sometimes stay together on the road, they’ll both be ready to come out firing on Sunday morning.
“We want to beat each other as bad as anybody, if not more,” Burns said of his relationship with Scheffler. “Obviously, when we tee it up, it’ll be business, and after we’ll give a hug to each other and congratulate whoever wins.”
On Saturday, Burns opened with a 2-and-1 victory over Patrick Cantlay and then followed by beating Canadian Mackenzie Hughes 3 and 2, even though he was 2 down through two holes.
“That’s kind of the nature of match play,” Burns said. “You just kind of have to weather the storm sometimes, and he got off to a fantastic start there birdieing the first two holes, and we just kind of kept scratching and clawing and got ourselves back in it. I hit a lot of really good shots today and was able to come out on the good side.”
Although Burns is still among the world’s elite, he’s slipped to No. 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking and all the way down to 25th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. That’s a far cry from a year ago when he was in the top 10 of both rankings. Burns has a pair of top-6 finishes in his last five starts, but also uncharacteristically missed consecutive cuts at the Genesis and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
But the four-time PGA Tour winner feels he’s rounding into shape at a good time, with the large purse this week just two rounds ahead of him and major season fast approaching.
“I think my coach Brad Pullin and I have worked really hard on my golf swing the last few weeks, and for us, it’s just trying to stack one good swing after another, and not really look too far in the future,” Burns said. “I think we’ve put a lot of hard work in, and it’s nice to see it showing on the golf course.”
Scheffler, who is notoriously competitive, said he sees the same in Burns, with whom he spends plenty of time. The two players enjoy each other’s company and their wives are even friends.
“He is pretty competitive,” Scheffler said of Burns. “I’ve been taking him on my team in pickleball recently. Usually, when he gets on the other team I’ll beat him pretty handily in that one, so pickleball for me is not much of a challenge. The match tomorrow is going to be a lot harder than me beating him in pickleball.
“He’s a fantastic person and he’s a great golfer, and I like him because he’s a person, great guy. We have a lot of fun together.”
In the other match, Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy will battle for a spot in the final.
Rory McIlroy took down Lucas Herbert 2 up to advance to the quarterfinals Saturday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Texas.
On the par-5 sixth, McIlroy wore the AirPod for NBC’s walk-and-talk segment where he was asked about the equipment changes he’s made since a missed cut at the Players Championship.
Is there a place the reigning WGC-Technologies Match Play champion doesn’t feel at ease?
AUSTIN, Texas — There’s no question that Austin Country Club is a place where Scottie Scheffler, who starred at the nearby University of Texas, feels calm, cool and comfortable.
Of course, the question now is if there’s a place the reigning WGC-Technologies Match Play champion doesn’t feel at ease.
For example, during Saturday morning’s Round of 16 match against smooth-putting J.T. Poston, Scheffler struggled through the front nine and found himself 2 down with four holes to play.
Scheffler still didn’t sweat, posting birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 and roaring back to beat Poston 1 up to advance to the quarterfinals for the third straight year.
Poston, who failed to get out pool play in his only previous appearance at this event, was happy with his showing, even though he failed to close out the world’s top-ranked player.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a whole lot of J.T. chants out there, which is expected,” Poston said. “But I played great, played solid. Didn’t want to give him any there, but unfortunately gave him a couple down the stretch and ended up costing me. For the most part, I played great all week, today included.”
Scheffler, meanwhile, said he made too many mental errors in falling behind Poston, but his caddie Ted Scott helped keep him even-keeled.
“I was pretty frustrated. I felt like I had given away holes. He earned a few of them, but there was a couple in there where I gave them — I hit it out of bounds on a par-5, made two bogeys, so that part was frustrating,” Scheffler said. “I just did a good job of staying patient, Teddy kept me in it mentally and we were able to make some birdies down the stretch and close out the match.”
In other early matches, Cameron Young continued his hot hand, rolling past former champ Billy Horschel 5 and 4, while Kurt Kitayama also had little trouble getting through to the semi-finals, topping Andrew Putnam 6 and 5.
“I did play really well and was thankful for the couple mistakes he made early. It’s not like Billy to do that,” said Young, who will now face Kitayama in the quarters. “He’s one of the most intense guys you’ll find out here, and I was totally ready for him to come out of the gates hot, and once he did make those mistakes, there was always a chance he just starts making putts, which is scary. Happy to get that one over with.”
Other winners included Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, who will square off in the quarters, as well as Sam Burns and Mackenzie Hughes, who will also meet.
Looking for the perfect late-round match-play backdrop? How’s this sound?
AUSTIN, Texas — Looking for the perfect late-round match-play backdrop?
How’s this sound?
A short par 3 with a tee box perched on the side of a cliff. Unpredictable winds swirling from beneath, forcing players to use their best guess at a number, and a healthy dose of Scottish-style pot bunkers surrounding the green on the safe side, meaning those who get in but don’t get out smoothly can easily chalk up a wildly inflated score.
Welcome to the 17th hole at Austin Country Club, host of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play for at least two more days. This 150-yard shortie looks palatable from the tee but has often been the deciding factor in matches during the seven years the event has been staged in the state’s capital.
This is where Billy Horschel closed out Scottie Scheffler for the title in 2021, and a host of superstars – Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and more – have found themselves in dire straits on this short, seductive hole, as seen in the photos below.
But here’s the little-known fact that often goes untold:
No. 17 wasn’t even part of the original plans.
When the club’s membership looked to make a second move to a new property, this time to a hilly piece of land along Lake Austin, legendary architect Pete Dye was brought in to design the masterpiece on display today.
Dye originally sketched out the routing on a napkin, putting together much of the track as it currently exists. He proudly passed the drawings along and was a little miffed when someone noted that he had not routed enough holes in the plan.
Legendary University of Texas golfer and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite picked up the story here during Friday’s third round of play.
“Pete had the thing on a napkin, he just drew the thing out,” Kite told Golfweek while standing on the practice putting green at ACC. “I think it was probably (architect) Roy Bechtol who looked at him and said, ‘Hey Pete, there’s only 17 holes here.’ Pete looked at him and said, ‘I can find a par 3 anywhere.’ ”
And that’s how the 17th hole, which plays as No. 8 in the normal, non-tournament routing, was born.
Of course, it also explains why the hole hangs precariously on a hill, a characteristic that has given many players fits. The hole was shoehorned in after the initial concept was hatched, needing to be short so players wouldn’t have to backtrack too far to the next tee box.
Kite, who has played the famed course more times than he can count, said the breezes can make the hole tricky for players who aren’t accustomed to the area’s topography.
“The winds come up through the canyons, and you get back on those tees and you can’t always feel the wind,” Kite said. “And so it makes choosing the right club there very, very problematic. I mean, it’s really tough to pull the right club and get it close. And even for those of us that have played it numerous times, it’s always difficult, but we know the tendencies.”
Kite added that players needed time to adjust to the winds upon arriving in Austin in 2016 for the first playing of the Dell Match Play there – the first few years the hole wreaked real havoc on the world’s best.
“You see the guys that come in here and they obviously know a lot more now than they did the first couple of years that we played here,” Kite said. “And while it’s a tough, tough club to pull, if you do get it right the green is pretty demanding. It has a lot of undulation in it. It’s an interesting hole for sure.”
Dye, who died in 2020 at the age of 94, was particularly proud of the course, telling Austin American-Stateman columnist Kirk Bohls in 2016 that the partnership with designer Rod Whitman proved to be one of his favorite projects.
“I love that golf course,” he said. “It was a difficult job, but it worked out OK. It was really remarkable. I don’t think they changed it very much.”
Dale Morgan is the longtime head pro at ACC and someone who also figures largely into the club’s lore. Morgan is one of only three pros the club has ever had, the others being legendary teacher Harvey Penick and his son, Tinsley Penick.
And he also marvels at how Dye’s quick cover-up produced a masterpiece.
“When he realized there were only 17 holes, he said, ‘Well, there’s an area over here and I think we can make one,'” Morgan said. “He ended up making one of the best little par 3s in the world.”
Morgan said Dye had no idea when he first put the plan together that the club would end up with a World Golf Championships event for the better part of a decade, and he certainly didn’t know the little hole that was an afterthought could be a deciding stage for some of the world’s best golfers.
“He thinks he’s building a golf course for members and he has no idea we’ll be playing these championships out here,” Morgan said.
“I know he’s looking down and smiling on us right now.”
Here’s a look at some of the trouble No. 17 has offered up through the tournament’s run:
Pool play has come and gone and now it’s time for the Sweet 16 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Texas.
Some big names were sent home packing, including Jordan Spieth who lost to Shane Lowry on Friday and will now beginning his preparation for the Masters.
This week is the first time at least four of the top six seeds have advanced from pool play since the format changed in 2015. The only one to not make it through was world No. 2 Jon Rahm who went 1-2-0.
After the Round of 16, the eight winners will play their quarterfinal matches Saturday afternoon. Sunday consists of the semifinal matches, the third-place match and the final.
