If the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play was in fact the end of the format on the PGA Tour, at least for the foreseeable future, it went out in style.
It wasn’t just that Sam Burns won the championship over Cam Young in a match that looked a lot like the future of the PGA Tour.
And it wasn’t just that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler wound up going head to head, even if it was in the consolation match, which was won by McIlroy, 2 and 1.
The event was a five-day reminder of why match play provides great theater, especially when it’s set at Austin (Texas) Country Club, which is just quirky enough to be steamrolled by some players (Young made nine 3s to start his first match on Wednesday) and send others reaching for another ball while the ripples are still fresh in the water where the previous shot went to die.
With no concrete plans to have a match-play event on the PGA Tour schedule going forward, it will leave a mold-bending gap even as the tour adjusts to its new model of “designated” tournaments.
The weekend in Austin was a validation of the format, concluding with four of the top 17 players in the world sorting out the finish.
Burns dominated the final match, winning 6 and 5 over Young, who had turned in the most flamboyant performance leading into Sunday. In his four previous starts, Burns had two missed cuts and a T35 at the Players Championship before finishing sixth at the Valspar Championship.
It coincided with a visit from Brad Pullin, Burns’ long-time swing coach, who helped Burns sort through what was lacking in his game.
Finding himself 1 down to Young through three holes in the final, Burns birdied eight of the next 10 holes for the second-largest margin of victory since the title match went to 18 holes.
“I was just trying to stack one good swing after another. That’s what I was trying to do,” said Burns, 26, who has won five times on the PGA Tour. “It’s nice to put the hard work in and see it pay off on the golf course.”
Young, who rallied from two holes down with three to play to beat McIlroy in extra holes in the semifinals, couldn’t match the cascade of birdies being thrown at him.
“I just ran into Sam Burns playing really well. When he’s on it, he may be the best player in the world. Today, he was,” said Young, who has now finished runner-up in six PGA Tour events while chasing his first win.
For McIlroy, who beat the No. 1-ranked player in the consolation match, the attention turns squarely to the Masters where he will again attempt to complete the career Grand Slam next week.
“I feel a lot better about things compared to a couple of weeks ago after (missing the cut at) the Players Championship,” McIlroy said. “All eyes are on Augusta and making sure the game is ready.”
Ron Green Jr.