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A day that began with 16 competitors ends with just four as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns and Cameron Young are the last men standing at the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Four of the top 20 players in the world will face off Sunday at Austin Country Club in semifinal matches before the two eventual winners meet in the championship.
World No. 1 Scheffler will be tasked with defeating his good friend Sam Burns. Often hanging out away from the golf course and traveling from tournament to tournament with each other, the two will put their friendship aside for 18 holes. It will not be the first instance the pair will meet in a winner-takes-all showdown; Burns got the better of Scheffler in a playoff at the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge.
“We want to beat each other as bad as anybody, if not more,” said Burns. “Obviously, when we tee it up, it’ll be business, and after we’ll give a hug to each other and congratulate whoever wins.”
The other semifinal match will feature two of the best drivers in McIlroy and Young. McIlroy skirted past Xander Schauffele in the quarterfinals, never once leading the match until the final putt dropped, and now will face arguably the hottest player in the championship in Young. McIlroy tallied a total of 17 birdies on Saturday, and will need a similar effort if he is to rise above this American contingent.
Let’s take a look at how Day 4 played out at Austin Country Club.
Player of the week (thus far)
It could easily be Scheffler or McIlroy, but Young has been nothing short of stellar in his debut. The reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year is 32 under in 81 holes in his first stroll around Austin CC. He has seen the 18th hole just twice and looks to be a man possessed with new bagman, Paul Tesori, alongside him. Of all the players, he has certainly experienced the least amount of stress — whether that is a good or bad thing will be determined…
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Source : cbssports
