The golf was pretty much as good because it will get. Rory McIlroy made 17 birdies within the 36 holes he performed Saturday. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler rallied with six birdies in his final 9 holes to achieve the semifinals for the third straight yr.
A bit of luck by no means hurts within the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. And as nice as McIlroy performed, he wanted a few of that, too.
McIlroy by no means led in his quarterfinals match towards Xander Schauffele. They got here to the 18th gap all sq., and McIlroy slumped barely when he noticed his drive headed left towards the timber. Schauffele hit his shot and shortly picked up his tee.
Imagine their shock. McIlroy came across a golf ball behind a tree and figured it was his. Schauffele was strolling behind him and was shocked when McIlroy stored going.
“He hit a worse drive than I did and he ended up fine,” Schauffele mentioned.
He bought no argument from McIlroy.
“I expected my ball to be Xander’s ball on 18 behind that tree, and I got fortunate that mine trundled down the hill and obviously made the chip shot a lot easier,” McIlroy mentioned. “Look, you need a little bit of fortune in these things, and that was a bit of luck for me today.” McIlroy gained with a 12-foot birdie putt, the correct ending to a match that each mentioned was a testomony to the standard of golf required. Schauffele applauded all of the pivotal putts McIlroy made to remain within the struggle.
It was like that throughout Austin Country Club. The remaining model of Match Play lived as much as its edge-of-the-seat status, with wild turns of momentum till 4 gamers remained.
Sam Burns superior by beating Patrick Cantlay in 17 holes after which overcoming an early deficit to beat Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, 3 and a couple of, to achieve the semifinals.
Burns advances to fulfill Scheffler, his greatest good friend on tour with whom he usually shares a home once they’re on the highway. Their final encounter was at Colonial final yr, when Burns made a 45-foot birdie putt to beat Scheffler in a playoff.
Cameron Young seemed as if he had a straightforward time, till it wasn’t. He was 3 up on the flip, missed an opportunity to go 4 up on the twelfth after which needed to go to the 18th gap earlier than he may dispatch of Bay Hill winner Kurt Kitayama.
Scheffler, who misplaced within the remaining in his Match Play debut in 2021, now has gained 10 straight matches. He was 2 down towards J.T. Poston within the morning with 5 holes left when he birdied the seventeenth to sq. the match and gained the 18th with a par.
He was 3 down towards former Match Play champion Jason Day by means of seven holes within the quarterfinals when he battled again, taking his first lead with a birdie on the thirteenth after which pulling away. He closed it out with a wedge to 2 inches on the seventeenth.
Scheffler mentioned he and caddie Ted Scott had a chat when Day went birdie-birdie-eagle on the entrance 9 to go 3 up. The eagle got here on a 5-wood from 282 yards to five ft on the par-5 sixth gap at Austin Country Club.
“Just ride out the heater,” Scheffler mentioned. “I had to stay patient.” Day started to wrestle with allergic reactions on the eighth gap, after which Scheffler had a heater of his personal by making six birdies over their remaining 9 holes.
McIlroy reached the quarterfinals by making 9 birdies towards Lucas Herbert, and it nonetheless wasn’t determined till the 18th gap.
“I got to beaten by the best player in the world probably playing the best golf of anyone in the world would today,” Herbert mentioned. “Pushed him all the way to the end. I just didn’t feel like there was a hell of a lot more I could have done.” Schauffele made seven birdies towards McIlroy and it wasn’t sufficient.
“I needed to dig deep,” McIlroy mentioned. “He’s one of the best players in the world. I knew I was going to need to produce something similar to this morning. I was 16 under for two rounds of golf. That shows the caliber you need to play out there.” Next up for McIlroy is Young, who completed forward of him at St. Andrews final yr with a 31 on the again 9. Young has made 31 birdies and two eagles in his 5 matches this week. He gained his group on Friday with a 5-and-3 win. He made it by means of Saturday morning with a 5-and-4 rout of Billy Horschel. He was on his solution to one other romp towards Kitayama.
But he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the twelfth that will have put him 4 up. Kitayama gained the subsequent two holes with birdies. Young missed from 10 ft for birdie, 15 ft for eagle and 10 ft for birdie on the subsequent three, all three putts burning the sting.
Ultimately, he solely wanted two putts from 15 ft on the 18th for the win. That was about the one simple a part of his again 9.
“I don’t think I made a bogey today and I was biting my nails trying to win my match,” Young mentioned. “I think it just shows you the quality of golf that’s played out here and how hard it is to get through even just one day like today, never mind that today was our fifth match.” Day earlier on Saturday beat Matt Kuchar, leaving the 44-year-old American one match wanting the event document. Kuchar leaves sharing the mark of 36 wins with Tiger Woods.
Now it’s Scheffler’s flip. Woods is the one participant to win Match Play again to again. One day stays, and it looks like a protracted solution to go.