Golf: No.1 Scheffler seizes PGA Colonial lead with closing birdie

LOS ANGELES -- Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler closed with a 30-foot birdie putt to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday's wind-whipped third round of the US PGA Charles Schwab Challenge.

The 25-year-old American, chasing his fifth victory of the year, fired a two-under par 68 to stand on 11-under 199 after 54 holes at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

"The winds were up really high. The greens were actually pretty firm, and so it was challenging," said Scheffler. "The birdies were not coming easy to anybody out there late in the day."

Scheffler, among eight players sharing the 18-hole lead and four co-leaders after 36, had not made a bogey over the first 52 holes before stumbling at the 17th.

But he responded with a dramatic birdie at the 18th to stretch his lead back to two entering Sunday's final round.

"I was glad it was going toward the cup. I hit it a little bit too firm," Scheffler said of his final birdie. "I struggled a little bit with the speed of the greens today. It's tough when the wind gets blowing that hard.

"Like 18, I'm putting downhill but straight into the wind. That one I was just trying to make sure I got to the hole because putting downhill when the greens get iffy late in the day is very tough... fortunately that one hit the bottom of the cup."

An eagle-birdie start helped American Brendon Todd shoot 65, the day's low round, to share second on 201 with countryman Scott Stallings. American Harold Varner was in fourth on 202.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, was on 203 with fellow Americans John Huh and Chris Kirk and Australian Cam Davis.

Scheffler could become the first world number one to win the event since Australian Adam Scott in 2014.

With a victory, Scheffler would join South African Bobby Locke from 1947 and Australian Joe Kirkwood Sr. from 1923 as players winning their first five US PGA Tour titles in the same season. Locke took six in his debut campaign while Kirkwood won five.

After winning his first US PGA title at Phoenix in February, Scheffler won at Bay Hill and captured the WGC Match Play title in March then won his first major title at Augusta National in April to overtake Spain's Jon Rahm as world number one.

- 'It's very challenging' -

Patience was at a premium on a blustery day for Scheffler, who parred his way through the front nine to remain tied for the lead.

At the 10th, Scheffler found greenside rough but chipped in from 20 feet to seize the solo lead, then landed his approach at the par-5 11th inches from the cup and tapped in to reach 11-under and lead by two.

At 14, Scheffler chipped from 70 feet to inches from the cup for a tap-in par, but his bogey-free run ended with a five-foot par putt miss at the 17th, setting the stage for his dramatic birdie finish.

"This is a golf course you have to be pretty careful around. It's very challenging," Scheffler said.

Todd drove the green in two and sank an eight-foot eagle putt on the par-5 opening hole, then holed out from just over 33 feet at the second.

Todd dropped his approach to four feet to set up a birdie at the sixth and rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eighth, then parred his way to the clubhouse.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Horschel outlasts Scheffler to win WGC Match Play title

WASHINGTON -- Billy Horschel defeated fellow American Scottie Scheffler 2&1 on Sunday to win the WGC Match Play Championship and capture his sixth career US PGA title.

Horschel, the 2014 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup playoff winner, chipped in from 43 feet to win the par-4 fifth hole and level the final, won the seventh and ninth with pars and halved the final eight holes at Austin (Texas) Country Club for the victory.

"There's so much emotion, so many turns of tides," said Horschel, who ousted Frenchman Victor Perez 3&2 in a morning semi-final.

"I didn't play really good. It was a tough day. I had two opponents that didn't make any putts and I did and that was the difference today."

Horschel's first PGA triumph since taking the 2018 pairs event in New Orleans with countryman Scott Piercy came after seven matches over five days and an intense back-nine battle without a stumble by the winner.

"It's huge," Horschel said. "I know I've won on tour and I feel like I should have won more. I should have at least contended more in some of these WGC events and majors."

Local hero Scheffler, seeking his first US PGA title in his WGC Match Play debut, would have been the event's youngest ever champion at 24.

He watched the tournament while playing at the nearby University of Texas and lives only a 15-minute drive from the course and was cheered by a limited crowd allowed to attend due to Covid-19 restrictions.

"I'm proud of the way I fought all week," Scheffler said. "My game was trending in the right direction pretty much the entire time. This afternoon was really the first time I didn't feel like I played my best.

"I grinded it out. I fought really hard and I just wasn't able to make the putts. I just couldn't get really get anything going. Did what I could with what I had. It just wasn't enough."

Scheffler, the 30th seed, edged US 52nd seed Matt Kuchar, the 2013 winner and 2019 runner-up, 1 up in the semis.

Scheffler never trailed in beating English Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter and Spanish third seed Jon Rahm in Saturday knockout matches.

After rolling in a 34-foot birdie putt to win the par-5 second hole with an eagle, Scheffler saw Horschel swipe momentum with the dramatic chip-in then lost holes with bogeys.

"That's crazy my only birdie of the day was that chip in," Horschel said. "I hit a lot of good putts early on I thought I made that just missed.

"From there, it was just holding on to the reins and hopefully I didn't get bucked off."

Both players had bogeys at the par-5 12th after Scheffler found water and Horschel a greenside bunker.

Scheffler missed a birdie putt from just inside five feet to halve the par-4 14th and stay 2-down.

Horschel kept his margin by blasting out of a bunker within inches of the cup to halve the par-5 16th.

At the par-3 17th, Scheffler needed to sink a birdie putt from just inside 11 feet to win the hole and extend the match, but he missed to end the match, having never managed a birdie against Horschel.

- Kuchar finishes third -

Kuchar beat Perez 2&1 in the third-place match, denying the Frenchman special temporary US PGA membership.

Perez, ranked 33rd, is the world's top-rated player who is not a US PGA Tour member.

"It was anti-climatic," Kuchar said. "But once you get going, the juices get going and you don't want to lose. It was a good battle with Victor, but it's a tough match to be a part of."

Kuchar won the first hole with a bogey but Perez equalized with a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 second. Kuchar won the eighth with a par and then birdied three in a row to win the par-4 10th, par-3 11th and par-5 12th and seize command.

Perez sank a birdie putt from just inside five feet to win the par-4 13th and an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-4 14th to pull within 2-down.

After pars to halve 15 and 16, Perez needed a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th to extend the match but rolled it just left of the cup.

The 28-year-old Frenchman moved to Scotland to be with his dentist girlfriend and has embraced Scottish golf culture living near St. Andrews.

Agence France-Presse