Match recaps from Saturday: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Day 4 of competition at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play commenced with the Round of 16, bright and early Saturday morning at Austin Country Club.

Eight players advanced to compete in Saturday afternoon's Quarterfinal round, with the winners moving on to Sunday morning's Semifinal matches.

See below for how the action unfolded throughout the day at Austin CC.

MATCH RECAPS

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LIVE SCORES, BRACKET

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QUARTERFINALS

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (5) def. SEAMUS POWER (42), 3 and 2

With a victory at the WGC-Dell Match Play, Scottie Scheffler would assume the No. 1 spot on the Official World Golf Ranking. It would mark a storybook moment for the New Jersey native who played collegiately at the University of Texas, just 10 miles from host venue Austin CC, in just his third full season on the PGA TOUR.

Scheffler is now two matches from that title after a steady victory over spirited Irishman Seamus Power, his Quarterfinal win punctuated with a walk-off, chip-in eagle from 91 feet on the par-5 16th hole. As Power had found water off the tee and was still facing a mid-range par putt, he did not have an opportunity to match. Scheffler pumped his fist, embraced caddie Ted Scott and was all smiles as he strolled up to the green to procure his ball from the cup, as the Texas-sized crowd roared.

The match was tightly contested for its majority; the first four holes were tied with pars, and after Scheffler went birdie-eagle on Nos. 5 and 6 to assume a 2-up advantage, Power quickly fought back with a winning par at 8 and winning birdie at 9 to tie the match into the back nine.

The tides began to turn at the par-5 12th, as Power overcooked the green with his wedge approach and found water; Scheffler had 15 feet for birdie and was conceded the hole. Scheffler added some cushion with a 10-footer for birdie on 13, and after two consecutive holes were tied with pars, the stage was set for Scheffler’s shining moment in front of an appreciative gallery at No. 16.

Scheffler is set to face Dustin Johnson in a Semifinal match on Sunday morning.

"I've been watching him play for years now, and he's pretty good at golf," Scheffler said of Johnson. "So it should be a fun battle with him tomorrow. It's good to see him back in form again, and I look forward to battling it out with him."

DUSTIN JOHNSON (8) def. BROOKS KOEPKA (16), 2-up

Brooks Koepka had the crowd and the match on his side early in his Quarterfinal match with Dustin Johnson at Austin Country Club. A chip-in birdie at the second from Koepka led to an early must-make for DJ from 14 feet which came up just short. An approach to inside 10 feet at the next set up back-to-back birdies and a 2-up lead for Koepka.

Rarely stressed despite having trailed in all but one of his matches this week, Johnson kept Koepka in his sights as the pair turned down the hill at the scenic 12th tied after Koepka failed to get up-and-down for par at No. 11. Blistering drives of 403 and 442 yards respectively for DJ and Koepka set up birdies for both.

DJ’s black mallet putter came alive at the par-4 15th, rolling in a 27-foot birdie to flip the match, as Koepka’s subsequent 24-footer on a similar line slid below the hole. Playing first off the 18th, DJ drove the green right on line with the flag to put the pressure back on Koepka, whose drive settled just off the green. A tough chip rolled by the flag with pace, finishing off the green and allowing DJ to lag his eagle putt close to the hole, completing yet another comeback at ACC.

"I don't feel like I'm making a lot," Johnson said of his putting this week. "But I've had a lot of good looks, so I think that's the difference.

"I'm striking it really well, so I'm giving myself a lot of chances. Like this afternoon, obviously it was a tough match against Brooks, but never really gave him any holes. Obviously got 2 down early, but I hit it inside 10 feet the first three holes and was 2 down. He chipped in on 1 and made another putt.

"But never really got frustrated; just knew I needed to keep hitting good shots, keep getting good looks, and I could fight back in the match."

KEVIN KISNER (29) def. WILL ZALATORIS (24), 4 and 3

Kevin Kisner is the match play gift that keeps on giving.

The University of Georgia alum opines that certain courses are beyond his competitive wheelhouse, but Austin CC is no such place. Kisner entered his match against Will Zalatoris holding an 11-0-0 mark at Austin CC when holding the lead at the turn in a match. After assuming a 3-up lead through nine holes Saturday afternoon, the statistics indicated that Kisner would have no trouble cruising to victory, and the numbers did not lie.

After staging a remarkable late-round rally in the Round of 16, winning the final four holes to best Adam Scott 1-up, Kisner maintained the momentum into Saturday afternoon’s match, building a 3-up lead through four holes on the strength of three pars and a birdie, as Zalatoris struggled to find a rhythm after defeating Kevin Na in 22 holes in the Round of 16.

Kisner built even more of a cushion on the par-3 11th, draining a 39-footer for birdie to extend the margin to 4 up. After the match alternated holes won on 12 and 13, Zalatoris needed a 27-footer for par on 14 just to stay alive; to his credit, he buried it. Still, the Wake Forest product needed to win each of the last four holes to force a playoff, and when Zalatoris was unable to chip in for birdie at the par-4 15th, Kisner’s up-and-down par proved just fine to close out the match.

"Put my feet up, rested for an hour or so, and he had to kind of rush," said Kisner, referring to Zalatoris' quick turnaround from the Round of 16 to the Quarterfinal match. "I've been through the other side of it too, so I liked the way I got to relax a little bit.

"I love the golf course. I love playing head-to-head; I love trying to beat just one guy, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

COREY CONNERS (36) def. ABRAHAM ANCER (15), 2-up

Corey Conners, long regarded as one of the game’s premier ball-strikers, was an actuarial mathematics major at Kent State University.

This week, Conners’ number-crunching around Austin CC has been rather straightforward. After compiling a 3-0 record in group play, the proud Canadian followed a 5-and-3 victory over Takumi Kanaya in the Round of 16 with a gritty 2-up win over Abraham Ancer in the Quarterfinal round. Conners will face match play maestro Kevin Kisner in a Sunday morning Semifinal match. Conners went 0-3 in group play in his 2021 Match Play debut; he's now 5-0 this week.

In a battle of fellow 2017 Korn Ferry Tour graduates, the first four holes were tied before Conners forged ahead on the strength of winning birdies at Nos. 5 and 6, both coming from inside 6 feet. Ancer answered with a 13-foot birdie at No. 8, and he tied the match with a 14-foot birdie at the par-3 11th, as the rabid Texas fans displayed their appreciation for the dual Mexico-United States citizen who was born in McAllen, Texas.

Conners struck back with a 15-foot birdie at No. 14, and he extended the lead to 2 up with an up-and-down birdie at the reachable par-5 16th, as Ancer was unable to convert his 16-foot birdie try. Ancer stayed alive with a par at the short par-3 17th, as Conners narrowly missed a mid-range par effort, and the match remained up for grabs to the closing hole.

On the reachable par-4 18th, Ancer’s tee shot settled in the front-left fringe, 60 feet away from the back hole location. Conners’ tee shot bounced onto the front portion of the green but caught a slope, eventually rolling back into the fairway and settling 52 yards short. Conners pitched to 12 feet, leaving Ancer a window to potentially win the hole and force extra holes with an up-and-down birdie if Conners missed. However, Ancer caught his chip a bit heavy, and when his 25-foot birdie try slid by, the match was conceded to Conners.

"Had to earn it," said Conners after becoming the first Canadian to advance to the Match Play Semifinal round. "Nothing was really given to me. It feels great to be sitting here.

"Still feeling energized. I think I'll have some adrenaline tomorrow, and that will help get me through."

ROUND OF 16

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (5) def. BILLY HORSCHEL (12), 1-up

In a rematch of the 2021 WGC-Dell Match Play championship match, Scheffler exacted a bit of revenge with a narrow victory in a match that wasn’t determined until the final green, thrilling the fans in his college town of Austin in the process.

Since his runner-up at last year’s Match Play, Scheffler has gone on a tear, winning twice on the PGA TOUR this spring in addition to Ryder Cup stardom last fall, where he defeated Jon Rahm in Sunday singles.

The University of Texas product added another notch to his match-play belt on Saturday morning against the spirited Horschel. In a closely contested battle, neither player led by more than 1 up at any point. Horschel won holes 1, 4, 9 and 13; Scheffler won holes 3, 6, 10 and 12.

With the match tied at the par-5 16th, Scheffler drained an 8-footer for birdie to take the 1-up lead, after Horschel had narrowly missed his birdie try from just outside. Scheffler had a chance to close the match with a 10-foot birdie try at the par-3 17th, which gave the majority of the field fits all morning, but he could not convert. With Scheffler in for par at the finishing hole, Horschel had a 12-foot birdie try to force a playoff, but it did not fall.

Scheffler advances to face upstart Seamus Power in the Quarterfinal round, while Horschel falls short of a successful title defense despite a 2-0-1 mark in group play and a worthy battle against one of the game’s hottest pros.

SEAMUS POWER (42) def. TYRRELL HATTON (13), 4 and 3

One of the feel-good stories of this year's WGC-Dell Match Play, Power kept the good times rolling with a decisive victory over his fellow European, closing out the match with a routine par at No. 15 after Hatton's 27-foot birdie try to apply pressure would not drop.

Power, who hails from West Waterford, Ireland, developed a reputation for his elite play on the eGolf Tour in the early 2010s before earning his TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour. Up-and-down form persisted as recently as 2021; a year ago this week, he stood No. 463 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Propelled by a victory at the 2021 Barbasol Championship, he steadily ascended the ranks en route to earning his first Match Play start, and he has taken full advantage.

After advancing to knockout competition with a 2-1 mark in group play, Power won the first hole with a par and then caught fire with three consecutive holes won on Nos. 3-5, including two birdies, staking a 4-up lead that proved to be insurmountable. Power's 14-foot birdie at No. 8, his fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch, pushed his lead to 5 up.

Power's lead alternated between 4 up and 5 up for the remainder of the match, but Hatton could not move within striking distance after Power's early surge. The Englishman's 2022 Match Play run comes to an end despite a sparkling 3-0 mark in group play, where he knocked off Si Woo Kim, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Daniel Berger.

DUSTIN JOHNSON (8) def. RICHARD BLAND (54), 3 and 2

Richard Bland looked set to continue his bracket-busting run at Austin Country Club, but Dustin Johnson proved to be too much for the 49-year-old Brit. An early bogey from the past FedExCup champ put him in a hole before the pair traded birdies along the front nine. DJ flexed his muscle with a birdie on the long sixth before three straight birdies around the turn. His game was firing on all cylinders, splitting each fairway and stuffing wedges to 8 feet on Nos. 8 and 9 for birdie before an approach to 2 feet on the par-4 10th.

A stray gust of wind on a generally calm morning caused a moment of pause for the 24-time TOUR winner, finding the water a hole later to drop his lead to 1 up. Bland fought hard and didn’t make any mistakes, but in the end DJ’s might powered him along as birdies on the back nine’s two par 5s sealed the win and a date with Brooks Koepka in the next round.

"I'm really close," said Johnson after polishing off his victory. "Putter needs to get a little better. It's starting to get there. But, yeah, the golf game, the swing feels really good, so I'm giving myself all the chances that I need."

BROOKS KOEPKA (16) def. JON RAHM (1), 19 holes

The meeting of two of golf’s biggest stars simmered along the Texas hill country of Austin Country Club’s front nine. Brooks Koepka remained steady, gaining a 1-up edge thanks to a bad break for Jon Rahm who was forced a penalty drop at the third after a crushed drive. Rahm bounced back quick, running his tee shot on the fifth up just below the green, getting up-and-down for birdie to tie the match.

A laser iron set up Koepka’s first birdie at No. 8 to go back 1 up after a missed Rahm 20-footer. The boiling point nearly came on the pivotal par-4 13th. With both players choosing the prudent lay-up off the tee, Rahm’s pitch nearly rolled back in the water before a two-putt bogey eventually saw his ball settle at the bottom of Lake Travis. He nearly compounded the error with his very next swing, pulling his tee shot left into the water while Koepka sat to the right of the fairway with a decent line to the flag. It all flipped on the green, when Rahm buried his right-to-left par putt from 28 feet to pile the pressure on Koepka, who missed his birdie to halve the deficit.

A Koepka birdie on the 15th and a fist-pumping birdie from Rahm on the 16th thrilled the fans before the pair were forced to scramble on No. 17. Hitting first, Rahm’s tee shot nearly dropped off the cliff to the left of the green but just held on while Koepka’s ricocheted off the stairs behind the green and back across, forcing a punch-out from the mulch before eventually settling for bogey as Rahm made par.

Rahm was poised to send a charge through the crowd on No. 18, hitting his approach inside Koepka and certain to get a read, but his birdie attempt would slide just below the hole. Koepka closed out the match on the first sudden-death playoff hole with a birdie on the 10th to hold off the top-ranked player in the world.

"It will be good," said Koepka of his impending afternoon match against Johnson. "DJ's playing good, we know that. So I've just got to putt a little better, get some putts to the hole and it will be fun."

KEVIN KISNER (29) def. ADAM SCOTT (32), 1-up

The Georgia Bulldog faced a 3-down deficit to the veteran Australian with four holes to play in Saturday morning’s Round of 16, aiming to keep his hopes alive in a tournament where he has historically thrived.

Turns out, no scenario is too daunting for Kisner, whose moniker as match play maestro holds true once again.

Kisner kick-started his late rally with a birdie at the par-4 15th, stuffing a wedge to 5 feet while Scott could not convert a 13-foot birdie try of his own. The most unlikely moment of Kisner’s comeback effort occurred at the par-5 16th; after finding a greenside bunker with his second shot, he holed out for eagle from 50 feet to move just 1 down. Kisner was at it again at the tricky par-3 17th, finding the center of the green as Scott faced a short-sided chip from the fringe, over a mound. Scott was unable to get up-and-down; Kisner two-putted for par and suddenly the match was tied to the 18th.

After Scott’s birdie try from the back of the green at the closing hole did not fall, Kisner lined up a 7-foot birdie attempt for his fourth consecutive hole won, and the match victory. He drained it, moving to the Quarterfinals as he maintains hopes of a second WGC-Dell Match Play title.

WILL ZALATORIS (24) def. KEVIN NA (25), 22 holes

In a match that seemingly didn't want to end, the rising star Zalatoris outlasted the seasoned vet Na with an up-and-down birdie at the fourth extra hole, after Na's wedge approach settled inches from the water's edge and he was unable to chip in. The back-and-forth battle saw Zalatoris assume a 3-up lead early in the back nine, only for Na to rally and lead 1 up into the 18th hole ... only for Zalatoris to birdie the last to force overtime.

Zalatoris, who has seemingly done everything but win in his blossoming TOUR career, caught fire late in the front nine with a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on holes 5-7, flipping a 1-down deficit into a 2-up advantage. He won the eighth with an up-and-down par, and he withstood Na’s winning birdie at No. 9 with an 11-foot birdie at No. 10 and resultant 3-up advantage.

The gritty Na, 38, channeled his inner veteran presence and rallied back. The five-time TOUR winner won the par-5 12th with a 9-foot eagle (Zalatoris was already in with birdie), and Na drained a 22-foot birdie at No. 13 to move just 1 down. After Zalatoris missed a 16-footer for par at 14, Na drained his par putt from 13 feet, and suddenly the match was tied.

After holes 15 and 16 were tied with pars, Na struck again at the par-3 17th with a tee shot to 3 feet and resultant birdie. Zalatoris wasn’t done; Na’s 17-footer for birdie at 18 to win the match slid by, and the Wake Forest alum seized an opportunity by draining a 15-foot birdie to send the match to extra holes.

The playoff wasn’t short on drama. Starting on the back nine at Austin CC, the duo matched birdies at No. 10, each two-putting from inside 20 feet. Zalatoris two-putted for par on No. 11, while Na made a crafty up and down from a slippery lie just left of the green. Both players missed the fairway on the par-5 12th; neither could reach the green in two, and the hole was tied once again with two-putt pars. Na’s error on 13 proved costly, and Zalatoris advances to face noted match play bulldog Kevin Kisner in Quarterfinal action.

COREY CONNERS (36) def. TAKUMI KANAYA (56), 5 and 3

A year after compiling an 0-3 group play record in his Match Play debut, Conners continues his redemption tour with a definitive victory over Kanaya in the Round of 16, taking the lead with a short iron to 4 feet for birdie at the par-4 second and never trailing.

Conners’ first TOUR title came at the 2019 Valero Texas Open, after which he had Monday qualified into the event, and he continues to build memories in the Lone Star State. The Kent State alum maintained momentum Saturday morning with a birdie from 6 feet at No. 3, moving 2 up, and he assumed a 3-up advantage with a par at the par-3 seventh, as Kanaya three-putted for bogey. Kanaya drained a 19-footer for birdie at No. 10 to move 2 down, but he would fail to win another hole in the match.

What allowed Conners to keep Kanaya at bay? A birdie run. The Canadian won the par-3 11th with a birdie from 8 feet, captured the par-5 12th with an up-and-down birdie, and matched Kanaya’s birdie from inside 15 feet at the par-4 13th to tie the hole. Conners was conceded the match after Kanaya’s birdie chip at No. 15 failed to fall, as Conners had an 11-foot birdie look of his own, and Kanaya had needed to win the hole to keep the match alive.

Conners faces fellow Korn Ferry Tour alum Abraham Ancer in the Quarterfinal round, while Kanaya’s maiden Match Play appearance comes to an end after a valiant effort, having compiled a 2-1 record in group play and defeating Lucas Herbert in a playoff.

ABRAHAM ANCER (15) def. COLLIN MORIKAWA (2), 7 and 6

Abraham Ancer impressed Saturday morning, never dropping a hole in his Round of 16 match against Collin Morikawa. A stellar approach from the right rough on the par-4 third set up a 15-foot birdie to go 1 up before a birdie at the sixth and a near-ace at No. 7 pushed the lead to 3 up.

Morikawa lacked his usual sharpness, missing his next two fairways en route to a 5-down hole heading to the back nine. A strong approach from the reigning Open champion to 3 feet was rendered moot when Ancer again poured in his birdie from nearly 20 feet, a warm-up for the 25-foot birdie he holed on No. 11. The match wrapped on the par-5 12th, with Ancer set to face Corey Conners.

"You want to save as much energy as you can," said Ancer after his decisive victory. "Definitely is nice. I knew, I mean, every time you have a chance to close out a match, you want to do it as soon as possible. It doesn't matter to save energy or anything. I mean, if there are still holes left, there's a chance for him to come back.

"So I just kept thinking in my head that I was down in the match and I had to fight to make birdies, and it paid off."