Scheffler rolls Europe’s best
AUSTIN, Texas — Scottie Scheffler never gets too far ahead of himself, a remarkable trait for a 24year-old in only his second year on the PGA Tour and particularly helpful in an emotionally charged format like the Dell Technologies Match Play.
Still, he was not oblivious to what he faced Saturday against Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter in the fourth round and then Spanish dynamo and world No. 3 Jon Rahm in the quarterfinals.
Scheffler mowed down both of them with some of his best golf, making 15 birdies in 31 holes — a 5-and-4 victory over Poulter and a 3-and-1 win over Rahm — to reach the semifinals.
“I was excited to play these guys today,” Scheffler said. “I’ve watched Ian way too many times on TV just beat the crap out of us in the Ryder Cup. I just have memories of me and my dad sitting on the couch and watching this guy make putt after putt. So it was nice to get one on him, at least for me.”
The victory over Rahm sent Scheffler, a Texas graduate and now the crowd favorite at Austin Country Club, into the semifinals against Matt Kuchar, who beat Jordan Spieth in the morning and Brian Harman in the afternoon.
Billy Horschel made it three Americans in the semifinals for the second time in the last three trips to Austin. He never led against Tommy Fleetwood until the Englishman sent his tee shot out-of-bounds on their first extra hole at the par-5 12th. Horschel will face Victor Perez of France, who beat Sergio Garcia in 15 holes.
Scheffler keeps saying he is trending in the right direction. He has gone 41 holes without making a bogey. And he brought his best golf against two of Europe’s best in this format.
“It doesn’t matter who I’m playing. I’m treating each match the same,” he said. “But I think sometimes you’ve got to bring a little different attitude, and I knew I had to bring my best stuff today, not really giving either of those guys much breathing room. I did my best to do that.”
Kuchar is the only player to win every match this week, and those five victories give him 33 in this tournament, second only to the 36 matches won by Tiger Woods.
He won the Match Play in 2013 and lost in the championship match last time to Kevin Kisner. It’s a big turnaround for the 41year-old with the graying goatee. He had gone more than a year since his last top 10, fell out of he top 50 for the first time in more than a decade and now feels rejuvenated after a 1-up win over Spieth and a 2-and-1 win over Harman.
“I can’t tell you how good I feel right now,” Kuchar said. “I feel like I’m still floating.”