PGA featured holes: BMW Championship

AUSTIN, Texas — Scottie Scheffler delivered all the right shots Saturday and moved into the semifinals of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play by taking down Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm. Scheffler was the highest seed remaining at No. 30, which is just a number the way he handled Austin Country Club against two of Europe’s best in this format. RELATED: Bracket, Scoring | Things you may have missed, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Day 4 The 24-year-old Texan made 15 birdies in the 31 holes required to get through his two matches. “Being able to take down those two guys, and Xander (Schauffele) in the final match on Friday, like I said before, I think my game’s trending in the right direction this week,” Scheffler said. He advances to a final day that features three Americans and one European — Victor Perez of France, who made short work of Sergio Garcia in their quarterfinal match. Matt Kuchar, the only player to win every match he has played in this most unpredictable event, pulled out a 1-up victory over Jordan Spieth in the morning and then kept Brian Harman from another amazing rally by rolling in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of their quarterfinal match. Kuchar and Scheffler will meet in one semifinal match. Perez will face Billy Horschel, who never led in his quarterfinal match until Tommy Fleetwood sent his tee shot out of bounds on their 19th hole, the par-5 12th. Kuchar won the Match Play in 2013 and lost in the championship match two years ago to Kevin Kisner. With his five wins this week, he now has 33 in this tournament, second only to the 36 matches won by Tiger Woods. Scheffler knows Austin Country Club as well as anyone from his four years he spent playing for the Texas Longhorns, but this was more about the quality of his golf in the face of two intense competitors. He never gave Poulter, a Ryder Cup stalwart and past winner of the Match Play, much of a chance. Poulter didn’t win a hole as Scheffler made seven birdies in a match that ended on the 14th hole. Poulter holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole and looked to cut the deficit to 2 down, only for Scheffler to hole a chip from behind the green. In the quarterfinal match, Rahm fell 3 down when his approach to the par-5 12th found the water. As usual, the Spaniard who reached the championship match in his 2017 debut mounted a charge. Rahm ran off four straight birdies — and he only picked up one hole. Scheffler matched him on the 13th and made a 10-foot birdie after Rahm chipped in on the 14th. “That was a big one,” Scheffler said. “I was standing there greenside and that was kind of the moment. It was kind of his do-or-die moment for the round, and I had a feeling he was going to hit a really good shot and it happened to go in. And I knew I had to roll that one in to keep things in check.” They matched birdies on the 16th, and Rahm conceded after failing to birdie the 17th. Horschel had never made it to the weekend in his four previous appearances, and this one looked doubtful, too, until he beat Max Homa on the third playoff hole to win his group. He dispatched Kevin Streelman in the fourth round Saturday morning, and never led against Fleetwood in the quarterfinals until they went extra holes. Fleetwood had gone 67 straight holes — starting with the 17th hole Wednesday — in which he never trailed. But after the Englishman missed a 12-foot birdie putt for the win on the 18th hole, they headed to the par-5 12th. Fleetwood hit his shot so far left that it went well out-of-bounds, and the best he could manage after re-teeing was a bogey. That almost was enough. Fleetwood hit into the water on the 13th and halved the hole with a bogey when Horschel took three putts from just off the green. Horschel went ultra conservative with Fleetwood out-of-bounds on No. 12 in extra holes. He laid up short of the water, hit a wedge 30 feet by the hole, left his birdie putt 5 feet short and had to make that to win. Kuchar was fortunate to make it through the morning. Spieth never trailed and wasted a chance to go 1 up on the par-5 16th hole. Kuchar was in grass so thick right of the fairway that he asked the marshal to let fans under the rope to help him find his ball. Then, he was given relief from a scoreboard in his line of the flag. He scrambled for par, and Spieth missed a 6-foot birdie putt. Kuchar won on the 18th hole in what amounted to a chipping contest. Spieth went 30 feet long, Kuchar was 6 feet short, and Kuchar won with a birdie. He built a 3-up lead over Harman, against whom no lead is safe. In the fourth round, Harman was 4 down to Bubba Watson through five holes until he made eight straight birdies and won seven straight holes, winning 2 and 1. Harman was 3 down with five holes to play when he won the 14th and added two more birdies, only for Kuchar to match him.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida and DENVER – Velocity Global has partnered with the PGA TOUR and GOLF Channel to become the presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University, the PGA TOUR announced Tuesday. Additionally, Velocity Global, which delivers a global work platform for employers to grow compliant distributed workforces in 185 countries and all 50 United States, has been named the Official Global Workforce Solutions Platform of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions as part of the multi-year agreement. Entering its second season, PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global rewards elite college players with access to Tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics. At the end of each college golf season, the top 15 players in the final Velocity Global Ranking earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA TOUR international tour. The Class of 2022 Ranking will be finalized May 30 following the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We’re excited to welcome Velocity Global to the PGA TOUR family as the first-ever presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Velocity Global shares our passion in supporting the top collegiate golfers on their journey to the professional game, and we look forward to their partnership in growing PGA TOUR University together.” As the Official Global Workforce Solutions Platform and Official Professional Employer Organization of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, Velocity Global will have a presence in programming throughout PGA TOUR media properties, align with PGA TOUR players and host customers at PGA TOUR events. “This partnership highlights access to opportunity. The Velocity Global Ranking identifies the top players in college golf and rewards them with access to the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA TOUR’s international network of competition, just as we make global work accessible to employers and talent,” said Ben Wright, Velocity Global Founder and CEO. “We’re proud to partner with the PGA TOUR to open doors for these players and support the game’s future stars, as Velocity Global supports the future of work.” Billy Horschel, a six-time PGA TOUR winner and the 2014 FedExCup champion, is a global brand ambassador for Velocity Global and an avid supporter of college golf. During his four-year career at the University of Florida, Horschel was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and a four-time All-American. “Velocity Global is the perfect match to present the top college players in the world of golf because it is the company that drives how work gets done for the next generation,” said Horschel. “They cheer for hard work and success, and that’s exactly what the PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global does. It creates access to global opportunities for these players to compete right away which is so important for their development as pros. I look forward to competing against these guys really soon.” In addition to being the presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University, the agreement also includes a partnership with GOLF Channel. PGA TOUR University and the Velocity Global Ranking will be featured each Wednesday on Golf Today and within weekly live tournament coverage, as well as across GOLF Channel and PGA TOUR digital platforms throughout the season. GOLF Channel’s first college tournament broadcast of the season is next week’s Maridoe Collegiate Invitational (September 13-15). Additionally, GOLF Channel will collaborate with Velocity Global to highlight a new PGA TOUR University charity program to be announced at a future date. “As the television home of college golf, we’re excited to continue the growth and development of PGA TOUR University alongside our partners at the PGA TOUR,” said Tom Knapp, EVP, Partnerships and Programming, NBC Sports. “The addition of an international partner like Velocity Global enhances our ability to cultivate this important platform, and ensure the top collegiate players will be showcased on GOLF Channel as they progress toward competing throughout the professional ranks and ultimately on the PGA TOUR.” The PGA TOUR University Class of 2021 made their marks in their first summers as professionals. Arizona State’s Kevin Yu finished 4th in the 2021 Velocity Global Ranking, and he posted five top-25s and two top-five finishes in eight starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. On the Forme Tour, Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo and SMU’s Mac Meissner both have wins after finishing 9th and 8th, respectively, in last year’s Velocity Global Ranking. With one event remaining this season, Werbylo leads the Order of Merit and Meissner is fifth, and both players are in position to be promoted to the Korn Ferry Tour next season.

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Alex Noren … Although he’s exempt into The Genesis Invitational as a member of Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 2018, he’s a rarity. It’s not often that a golfer on conditional status qualifies automatically for an invitational. Case in point, he’s the only in his category of the Priority Ranking in the field at Riviera, while four others are committed to the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida. Identically positioned last season, Shane Lowry proved that it’s a good place to be on the road to winning The Open Championship. There’s no requirement to reach the membership minimum of 15 starts, but Noren still is eligible for the FedExCup Playoffs. He’s made it count early, too, by going 5-for-5 with three top-15 finishes. Because 17 of his 20 rounds have been in the 60s, he’s fifth on TOUR in adjusted scoring. He’s also 12th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, third in scrambling and inside the top 20 in par-3, par-4 and par-5 scoring. And for good measure, in his only prior trip to Riviera, he finished T16 in 2018. Denny McCarthy … If we could just park him on this page every time he plays, no one would disagree; well, unless he’d appear in the Power Rankings (which he did for the Bermuda Championship and finished T15). In fact, this is the third time that he’s landed here. After a T31 at Greenbrier, he placed T9 at the Shriners. Overall, he’s 10-for-10 with three top 10s among five top 20s. Currently T21 on TOUR in greens in regulation, third in Strokes Gained: Putting and 25th in adjusted scoring. Luke List … Possesses the prototypical profile to thrive at the Riv, not that he hasn’t already made a little noise here throughout his career. The 35-year-old is 3-for-4 with a pair of top 20s and a scoring average of 70.14. As long as he can maintain consistent putting for four rounds, expect another decent showing. For example, in keeping his head above water on the greens at TPC Scottsdale, he didn’t waste a strong effort from tee to green and finished T25. Wyndham Clark … While loaded with talent, the learning curve still has a hold of his direction, but he’s proven to sustain bursts of form for a few starts consecutively. That’s why an upswing is projected to continue in his debut at Riviera. After missing two cuts in January, he connected for a T34 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open where his power and putting were on display. Then, en route to a T18 at Pebble Beach, he authored a balanced attack led by a frequency of precision on approach (T8 in GIR; averaged 13 per round) while still ranking T2 in par-5 scoring. Joseph Bramlett … In the field as this year’s recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption. Since it was first awarded in 2009, he’s the only to receive it twice. As a PGA TOUR rookie at Riviera in 2011, he missed the cut. It was his only appearance until now. Just happy to be a touring professional again after overcoming a serious back injury, there must be a persistent sense that so much of what he accomplishes is a bonus. With last week’s T18 at Pebble Beach where his irons were sharp, he’s recorded a pair of top 20s and sits 114th in the FedExCup. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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