Matt Kuchar and Scottie Scheffler after Scheffler's victory on Sunday in the Match Play semifinals.
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One finalist has played full-time on the PGA Tour for 10 seasons. The other finalist has played Austin Country Club several times. Experienced vs. experience. Here who’s moving on to the finals — and who’s playing for third — at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.
Billy Horschel def. Victor Perez 3 and 2: The veteran Horschel took the lead for good when Perez bogeyed the par-4 10th hole after missing a 6-foot par putt. He built his lead to 2-up on the par-3 11th after Perez hit his tee shot into the water, and he led 3-up after 14 after Perez missed a 5-footer for par.
“It was a challenge,” Horschel said. “It was a lot of fun. I mean, when you play in wind like this you just got to understand you’re going to hit good shots and not get rewarded for it.”
Scottie Scheffler def. Matt Kuchar 1-up: Scheffler, who played his college golf at nearby Texas, led 2-up after 11 holes, then hit into the water on consecutive holes to even the match. He reclaimed the lead on the par-3 17th after hitting to within 10 feet and dropping the birdie putt, and he and Kuchar each parred 18.
“I think I got a little too comfortable with my lead and just lost focus,” Scheffler said. “Was able to kind of keep it going, kept things in check.”
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.