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Scottie Scheffler’s sizzling play continued at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, where the 25-year-old Texan captured the title in a 4-and-3 triumph over Kevin Kisner for his third win in his last five starts and ascended to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I never got that far in my dreams,” Scheffler said at the trophy ceremony, where he choked up with emotion. “I just play golf. I love competing. I’m happy to be out here, you know?”
It marked a full-circle moment for Scheffler, who lost to Billy Horchel 2 and 1 in the 2021 championship match and came into the week at Austin Country Club listed at +1800 via PointsBet Sportsbook. Scheffler mounted a 3-up lead after six holes and increased it to 4 up with a birdie at 14. He closed out the match with a par at 15.
“I’ve thought about winning this tournament ever since last year,” said Scheffler, who also never trailed in his 3-and-1 win over Dustin Johnson in their semifinal match. “It left kind of a poor taste in my mouth getting so close and ultimately coming up short. So it feels really good to finish the job this time around.”
Scottie Scheffler’s road to WGC-Match Play victory:
- Wednesday: def. Ian Poulter, 2 and 1
- Thursday: lost to Tommy Fleetwood, 2 and 1
- Friday: def. Matt Fitzpatrick, 5 and 4
- Group Stage Playoff: def. Matt Fitzpatrick, 6 holes
- Round of 16: def. Billy Horschel, 1 up
- Quarterfinals: def. Seamus Power, 3 and 2
- Semifinals: def. Dustin Johnson, 3 and 1
- Championship: def. Kevin Kisner, 4 and 3
Scheffler’s breakthrough win came 42 days ago at the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 13, and he followed up with a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational 21 days ago. He becomes the first player to win three PGA Tour titles in 42 days or fewer the first to do so since David Duval captured three titles within 21 days in 1997.
In an ironic twist, Scheffler joins Kisner (+6000) – the 2019 Match Play champion and just the third player with three or more championship match appearances – as the only players to win the event the year after losing in the championship match. Combined, Scheffler and Kisner have made five total championship match appearances since 2018:
2018: Kisner vs. Bubba Watson
2019: Kisner vs. Matt Kuchar
2021: Scheffler vs. Billy Horschel
2022: Scheffler vs. Kisner
“I couldn’t get it going with the putter in the final match and Scottie is probably playing the best golf on the planet right now,” said Kisner, who beat Canada’s Corey Conners 2 up in the semis Sunday morning. “I knew I needed my best, and just couldn’t hole anything to get any momentum my way. … Hats off to him. He’s playing great. Like I told him after, ‘Enjoy the hell out of how well you’re playing, man.’”
With his move to the No. 1 in the rankings, Scheffler becomes the 25th player to reach No. 1 in the OWGR since its inceptions in 1986. He ends Jon Rahm’s streak of 36 consecutive weeks at No. 1 and becomes the sixth youngest player to reach world No. 1.
In Sunday’s consolation match, Conners (+6000 at the start of the week) defeated Johnson (+2000), 3 and 1, to finish third. Conners became the first Canadian in tournament history to advance to the semifinals, while Johnson earned his second top-10 in his last three Tour starts and moves back into the top 10 in the world rankings.
“The Presidents Cup is definitely on my mind a little bit,” said Conners, who’s lone PGA Tour win is the 2019 Valero Texas Open. “I was trying to take care of business shot by shot, but it feels good to have won a few matches.”
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Rookie Chad Ramey captures first Tour win in 16th career start at Corales Puntacana
Rookie Chad Ramey captured his first career PGA Tour title in just his 16th start Sunday at the Corales Puntacana Championship, where he made four consecutive birdies on his back nine to rally for a one-stroke win over Ben Martin and Alex Smalley.
“I’ve always had the self-belief that I could get it done, and I proved it today,” said Ramey, who becomes the youngest Corales winner at 29 years, 7 months, 24 days.
“It was honestly like I always thought it would be, it was very stressful, very nerve-wracking coming down the stretch, but I just grinded it out, kind of stuck to my process, stayed within myself and pulled it out.”
After opening with a lackluster 2-under 70 at Corales Golf Club in the Dominican Republic, the Mississippi native followed up with a bogey-free 65 on Friday. A third-round 69 Ramey two shots behind Martin heading into the final round, and he carded a 67 on Sunday to finish at 17-under 271.
The win gives Ramey – the Tour’s first rookie winner since Garrick Higgo at 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree and the eighth first-time winner this season – an exemption into the PGA Championship, 300 FedExCup points and moves him from No. 120 to No. 32 in the FedExCup standings.
“I think it will take maybe a day or two to sink in,” said Ramey, who also receives a two-year Tour exemption. “Everything’s pretty surreal, happening pretty fast, but I’m definitely excited.”
It was a disappointing day for Martin, who was chasing his second career Tour victory and first since the 2014 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The 34-year-old Clemson alum missed a 6-footer for birdie to force a playoff and carded a final-round 70 to finish at 16-under, marking his second top 10 at Corales (T-9, 2021)
“That was obviously difficult,” said the Clemson alum, who has just three other PGA Tour starts this season, finishing T-51 in Bermuda and missing cuts at the Fortinet and Puerto Rico. “I’ve won out here before, won on the Korn Ferry, runner-up in the U.S. Am, but I guess maybe I wanted this one a lot more.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this emotional about golf, so this is a first. I guess, to me, that’s a good thing. Means I competed hard and it obviously stung. Hit two such good shots into 18 to have such a good opportunity and then not capitalize I guess is the most difficult part.”
Fellow Tour rookie Smalley, who finished T-2 after a bogey-free 65 on Sunday, earned his career-best finish on Tour and notched his third consecutive top-25 result at Corales after finishing T-14 in 2020 and T-22 in 2021.
Jhonattan Vegas, who arrived at Corales as the betting favorite via PointsBet Sportsbook at +1600, recorded his best finish since a T-2 at the 2021 3M Open. The 37-year-old Venezuelan, who is chasing his fourth career Tour victory and first since the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, shot 68 on Sunday to finish T-4 at 15 under with Australia’s Cameron Percy. Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard finished solo sixth at 14-under 274, marking a career-best result and earning a start in next week’s Valero Texas Open.
Defending champion Joel Dahmen, listed at +1800 ahead of the tournament, withdrew because of illness during the second round after opening with a 71. Hojgaard’s twin brother, Nicolai Hojgaard – the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 77 – missed the cut by a stroke after rounds of 73 and 71.
HV3, Power, Henley punch ticket to Augusta; one last chance for Bland
According to Official World Golf Ranking projections for March 28, five players not previously qualified for the Masters have secured their invitations Augusta National in two weeks thanks to their top-50 OWGR status: No. 34 Thomas Pieters of Belgium, No. 40 Harold Varner III, No. 41 Seamus Power of Ireland, No. 42 Russell Henley and No. 47 Cameron Young.
Players missing out include No. 52 Cameron Tringale, No. 53 Richard Bland and No. 55 Alex Noren. The 49-year-old Bland needed to beat Dustin Johnson at the WGC-Match Play in the Round of 16 to earn enough world-ranking points to make the top 50, but he lost 3 and 2.
“When I have my best stuff, and I don’t feel like I had my best stuff this week, I can play against these guys,” Bland said via GolfChannel.com. “I can walk away with my head held high. I’m guessing no one was really expecting a 49-year-old rookie to get through the group stages but I did.”
The Englishman will have one more chance this week at the Valero Texas Open, where he’ll play on a sponsor exemption and needs to win the event to secure his Masters start.
Next up: Valero Texas Open
As the Valero Texas Open celebrates its 100th anniversary, defending champion Jordan Spieth returns to TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, where a spot at the Masters is on the line if this week’s winner is not already qualified for Augusta.
World No. 9 Rory McIlroy will make his second event appearance and his first in eight years, after finishing second to Martin Laird in 2013. Bryson DeChambeau, who failed to advance out of group play at the WGC-Match Play, will tee it up for the first time at TPC San Antonio for the first time since a missed cut in 2017. Reigning Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama also returns to action after withdrawing from the Players Championship due to injury, while 20 players with Augusta invites are set to play in Texas including several first-timers, who also will make their Valero debut: Garrick Higgo, Takumi Kanaya, Min Woo Lee and Robert MacIntyre.
Last year at TPC San Antonio, Spieth captured his first win since the 2017 Open Championship, ending a drought of 83 PGA Tour starts. He closed with a 6-under 66 to defeat Charley Hoffman by two shots, marking Spieth’s 12th Tour title. He’ll look to become the first back-to-back Valero Texas Open winner since Zach Johnson in 2008-09.
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