Five days of grueling, head-to-head golf came to a close on Sunday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. Here’s what you missed.
Who won: Kevin Kisner, 3 and 2 over Matt Kuchar
How it happened: Kisner began the final match with a birdie on the par-4 first hole to quickly go 1 up. It was the fourth straight match Kisner was able to grab a lead on the opening hole.
1 UP thru 1 for his FOURTH straight match.@K_Kisner continues his streak vs. Kuchar. 🔥#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/60losdZhlK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 31, 2019
He later bogeyed the par-4 fifth hole, allowing Kuchar to square it, but Kisner reclaimed the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. He extended it to 2 up after Kuchar bogeyed the par-3 seventh.
Kisner bogeyed 9 to let Kuchar back in, but Kuchar doubled 11 and bogeyed 15, making the result a formality. Three up with three to play, Kisner wasted no time. He canned a 20-footer for birdie on 16 to close it.
A birdie to win it! 🏆
Congratulations, @K_Kisner.
He finished 6-1-0 @DellMatchPlay.
It's his first World Golf Championship title.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/HULr7bz2T7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 31, 2019
It was over when … Kuchar splashed his tee shot on 11. He was one down and primed to make a move. When that ball hit the water, that was essentially it.
Why it matters: After finishing runner-up in this event last year, Kisner, 35, got over the hump for his third career PGA Tour win — the biggest of his career. He’s been a guy right on the cusp for a while now. He had a good shot at winning the 2017 PGA Championship before faltering late on Sunday. He played well at that year’s Presidents Cup but was passed over for a Ryder Cup captains pick last fall. Something tells me he’s a good bet to make Tiger Woods’s Presidents Cup team this December, regardless of whether he qualifies on points.
The undercard: Hey, what about that consolation match! Ryder Cup assassin Francesco Molinari took out Tiger-slayer and human spelling error Lucas Bjerregaard 4 and 2 to continue his impressive run of match-play results.
Up next: The Tour shifts to San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open, but most big names will jet straight to Augusta to settle into rental houses and play a few practice rounds. Headlining the Valero field: Rickie Fowler (who skipped the Match Play), Tony Finau, Matt Kuchar and … those are your headliners. Seriously — this thing is short on big names.