Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are inching closer to the championship round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. McIlroy won the tournament in 2015 and has made 17 birdies so far in the competition, beating Lucas Herbert, 2-up, and Xander Schauffele, 1-up, on Saturday. Meanwhile, Scheffler, the defending champion and runner-up in 2021, has a nearly perfect record at Austin Country Club over the past three years, with only two losses.
To reach the championship, McIlroy must defeat Cameron Young, while Scheffler will face off against Sam Burns in the semifinals. Scheffler flipped his Round of 16 match, winning two of the last three holes to edge J.T. Poston, 1-up, then overcame an early 3-down deficit to beat Jason Day, 2 and 1. Burns was the 2-and-1 winner over Patrick Cantlay in the morning and the 3-and-2 victor over Mackenzie Hughes in the afternoon.
McIlroy says winning the Match Play is always a significant accomplishment, given the seven rounds and close calls required. Scheffler, too, understands the tournament’s demands, which include a lot of fun with friends and fellow competitors.
Should McIlroy and Scheffler meet in the championship match, it would recall the TOUR Championship last summer, where McIlroy overcame a six-shot deficit in the final round to edge Scheffler and win his record third FedExCup title.
The road to the championship is not easy, but both McIlroy and Scheffler have their eyes on the prize.
