AUSTIN, Texas — It’s not only the last day of action for the 2023 edition of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, but it’s also the last running of the tournament at Austin Country Club and could very well be the last WGC event ever staged.
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).
Sam Burns takes 3-up lead to the turn, has used hot putter throughout the week
It’s been a strong day for Burns, who has answered the call repeatedly against both Scheffler and now Young. He has used a hot putter throughout the week to get in prime position for a fifth PGA Tour victory.
But Burns has also failed to hit the fairway consistently at ACC. He hit just 48 of the first 91 fairways he played, despite going undefeated through his first six matches.
In terms of the big news that the USGA and R&A will be rolling back ball distance in the future, Burns previously said he’s not a fan.
“Personally, I think it’s pretty silly. I would say if you look at the last few years of golf, I think the game has grown tremendously,” Burns said. “At the end of the day no matter what it is we’re an entertainment sport and I think, I don’t think people necessarily want to come out here and watch guys hit it shorter. They enjoy watching guys go out there and hit it 350 yards. I don’t see what the problem is with that. I think that’s a skill and I don’t really agree with trying to take that away.”
Sam Burns goes 3-up over Cameron Young with a 20-foot birdie make on the 8th. 👏
📺: @nbc and @peacock pic.twitter.com/HC2Fx4aBbC
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 26, 2023
Young-Tesori combination paying instant dividends
Young is playing his first event with accomplished caddie Paul Tesori, who had been on the bag of Webb Simpson for a dozen years before a recent split. Tesori, a former player, carried Simpson’s bag for all seven of his PGA Tour wins, and had previously worked with Jerry Kelly and then-No. 1 Vijay Singh.
If the early returns are any indication, Tesori is steering Young down a familiar path.
Young took the lead on the second hole in the final, but fell behind when Burns took the fifth and sixth holes. and then dropped to 2 down when he missed an 8-foot putt for par. Still, he’s been fighting all week with Tesori’s guidance.
It’s an interesting contrast in styles as Tesori is full of energy and Young has been known for a laid-back approach.
“I’ve obviously been around him a lot,” Young said. “Webb and I played a practice round together 22 times this past year, so I’ve been around him a ton, so it’s really comfortable. I think he just brings a ton of energy, which is good for me. I’m kind of pretty flat-lined. But it’s been great so far.”
Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler both drive it to back of green on 350-yard hole
McIlroy put on a show with his driver during the week at Austin Country Club and did so again on the fifth hole of the consolation match, as he wound up and uncorked a 375-yard drive which rolled through the green and came to rest on an upper ridge of the putting surface.
Not to be outdone, Scheffler ripped his drive 364 yards, also getting up on the back third of the green.
Scheffler, however, posted his second three-putt of the day and fell 3 down through five holes.
For McIlroy, the drive was his 16th drive of 350 yards or more for the week.
Could 17 be the deciding hole? It was an afterthought
Don’t be surprised if No. 17 winds up deciding the championship match between Young and Burns, especially with how well the two have been playing all week. Interesting story about No. 17: It wasn’t on the original sketches from architect Pete Dye.
He 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.
Tom Kite told us more about the story this week.
Final matches set to go off, but will Rory-Scottie get more airtime than the final?
Typically, the consolation match at the Dell Match Play gets a sizable amount of airtime on the NBC broadcast, as producers try to fill the gaps between finalists’ shots.
But today’s consolation match between McIlroy and Scheffler is sure to get center stage, perhaps an equal amount of time and attention to the final between Burns and Young.
In the previous six years here at ACC, the best consolation match — in terms of seeds — was in 2019 when 13th seed Alex Noran squared off with second-seeded Justin Thomas. Conversely, the lowest seeds that met for the consolation came in 2017 (when Dustin Johnson beat Jon Rahm in the final), as Hideto Tanihara (54) squared off with Bill Haas (42).
Watch: Burns drops 15-footer, ousts reigning champ Scheffler
So much for Scottie Scheffler closing out the last two Dell Match Play tournaments with consecutive titles. Like he did a year ago at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Burns dropped a big putt to beat his friend Scheffler in extra holes, this time on the 21st hole of the day for the duo.
It will be Burns vs. Young for the title, perhaps not the final that NBC Sports was hoping for, but an absolutely thrilling way for the two semifinals to conclude, the first time both final four matches went to extra holes.
.@SamBurns66 for the win 😤
After 21 holes, Burns defeats Scheffler and will face Cameron Young in the championship @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/AWZIDIoj49
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2023
Young buries putt on first extra hole, knocks out McIlroy
Down two with four holes to play, few thought Young had much of a chance against McIlroy, but the No. 17 player in the world rallied to win the 16th and 18th hole and then top McIlroy in the first extra hole.
“It’s just further proof that I feel like I can hang with anybody in the world. Rory’s obviously one of the best of his generation, if not the best, and one of the best players in the world right now. So anytime you get to go out and play 19 holes with him it’s a lot of fun. Just thankful to get it done,” Young said.
“It was a lot of fun. It’s never fun being down to someone like that with a few holes to go. Paul said to me on 15, he said, If you birdie the last three after we didn’t birdie 15, if you birdie the last three, we might get to play another one. And fortunately, just two was enough to just push it to extra holes and that was obviously a really nice birdie there after a bad break.”
McIlroy can't replicate magic on 18 against Young, match is all square
On Thursday, during his match against Denny McCarthy in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club, McIlroy hit one of the best drives of all time.
But looking to close out Cameron Young during the semifinals on Sunday, McIlroy couldn’t repeat that magic, pushing his drive to the right. The ball rolled through a bunker and into a rough lie just off the green.
McIlroy made four, but Young dropped his birdie putt and forced extra play.
On Thursday, McIlroy and McCarthy’s match reached the 18th hole with the Northern Irishman 1 up. He had the first shot, and his smashed his driver with 188 mph ball speed. It finally landed 349 yards away on the front of the green. It ended 3 feet, 9 inches from the hole. Here’s another look at Thursday’s drive from McIlroy.
One of the greatest drives you will EVER see 🤯@McIlroyRory drives the ball to 3 FEET at the 375-yard par-4 18th with a 349-yard carry to the green! pic.twitter.com/HzhMBtyKkr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 23, 2023
Scheffler birdies 18th hole, extends match with Burns
What else would you expect? After Sam Burns nearly holed out on his chip at the short 18th hole, he then missed an 11-footer that would have closed out the reigning champ.
Scheffler stepped up and buried a putt from just inside five feet to get this match square yet again.
The two will head back to No. 12 to keep this fun going.
Watch: Burns surges ahead with incredible shot on 17
At a time when he needed it most, Burns dropped in perhaps his best shot of the tournament, hitting a gap wedge on the 17th to one foot.
Scheffler conceded the birdie and just missed a birdie putt of his own, meaning Burns took the lead for the first time in 11 holes.
What a shot from @SamBurns66 🔥
He’s now 1-up with one to play @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/WJ1rvHpQOQ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2023
Scheffler in a battle with buddy Burns
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns are in a dogfight in one semifinal as Scheffler got 3 down in the first three holes, clawed back to take the lead, but then watched Burns come back to even things on the 15th hole.
The last time Sam Burns won a PGA Tour event was at the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, when he buried a 38-foot putt from off the green to edge his friend and claim the title. 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.”
Clutch birdie from @SamBurns66 💪
His match against Scheffler is now tied with 3 to play @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/8pFA2vOkQ5
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2023
