Scottie Scheffler tops Kevin Kisner at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, will move to World No. 1

AUSTIN, Texas — When Scottie Scheffler was playing at the University of Texas, head coach John Fields would often follow the prodigy, offering a number and some fatherly advice when it seemed appropriate.

Fields noticed that when he did so, Scheffler would often struggle, forcing something that simply didn’t come naturally.

But when Fields stayed quiet and let Scheffler visualize and execute his own shot, that’s when the magic would happen.

“He just had to see it himself,” Fields said this week. “He had to be his own person.”

On Sunday, Scheffler got to see it all himself: a third PGA Tour victory in five starts, a $2.1 million top prize, and the summit of an amazing hike that’s expected to see him become the No. 1 golfer in the world by virtue of his victory at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

All in the town where he cut his teeth as a collegian.

Scheffler finished off an incredible week with a pair of convincing victories, first getting 5 up on Dustin Johnson through 11 before winning 3 and 1, then rolling past match-play stalwart Kevin Kisner 4 and 3 in the final to earn the title.

The former Longhorn, who won three Big 12 Championships while attending his alma mater just a handful of miles from Austin Country Club, said confidence and consistency have been the keys to his ascent. He’s expected to jump above Jon Rahm when the Official World Golf Ranking gets officially updated on Monday.

“I’d say just like anything out here, you kind of have to see your own shot. I think I’ve really worked hard at being more consistent with my ball-striking since I was in college,” said Scheffler, who has won three times in five starts and has ascended with caddie Ted Scott on his bag. “In college, I kind of fought my swing a little bit, and as I’ve turned pro I feel like I’ve improved in a few aspects of my game and just gotten more comfortable. Through the work I’ve put in I’ve just gained some more confidence, and I feel like I have a lot of different shots that we can kind of use.”

In the semifinals, Scheffler squared off against 2017 champ Johnson, and captured two of the first three holes en route to a big edge. Although Johnson made a run, winning three consecutive holes to get back within striking distance, Scheffler won 16 and 17 to close out the lone major champ in the final four.

He started just as strong in the final, jumping out to a 3-up lead in the first six holes on Kisner, who has been a buzzsaw in this format, winning 22 of his previous 29 matches.

Looking for a snapshot of Scheffler’s determination? On the 12th hole of the championship match with a 3-up lead, the 25-year-old uncharacteristically dumped a shot from the fringe into the bunker, appearing to give Kisner a lifeline. He followed by holing out from the sand, forcing the Georgia Bulldog to make a long putt to halve the hole.

“That pitch was really awkward. I would say I got a little bit aggressive with my line. I wanted to hit a really cool shot and kind of, that was maybe showing off a little bit. That was definitely maybe a little mental error on my part. I just didn’t really react to it,” Scheffler said of the mishit. “I knew that I made the mistake. I didn’t get a bad break, didn’t get screwed or anything like that. I just hit a poor shot, and it was really one of the few poor shots I hit today.

“The bunker shot wasn’t long. I was trying to make it. Just hit it on line and I was fortunate to do that, and it definitely was fortunate to see it go in, as well, and keep the momentum on my side.”

Soon after, Scheffler closed out the match, using a birdie on the 14th hole and a par on 15 to capture the hardware.

When asked what this meant to him, and if this was the culmination of all his dreams, Scheffler had a short message before tears started flowing.

“I never got that far in my dreams,” he said. “I grew up wearing long pants to go practice because I wanted to be a professional golfer. That’s what I dreamed of. I dreamed of being out here. I’ve always been, I would say, fiercely competitive, and so for me getting out here was a goal per se, and being out here, I like competing and I enjoy the challenge of playing out here every week. Just competing out here is really fun for me and just being able to win tournaments is pretty awesome.

“The rankings never really crossed my mind. It was always just about being out here and competing.”

In the consolation match, Corey Conners rushed out to a 4-up lead through the first half-dozen holes and defeated Johnson, 3 and 1.