Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — The final hours of the WGC-Dell Technologies Holeshot Championship have gone awry for everyone except Sam Burns.
Burns stormed in the final with eight birdies over his last 10 holes and enough help from Cameron Young for a 6-and-5 win. It was the second-biggest margin in an 18-hole match of this tournament.
Burns won for the fifth time at the PGA. Young, who scored crucial birdies to knock out Rory McIlroy in the semi-finals, had to settle for second place for the sixth time in the last 18 months.
“What a week,” Burns said. I am very tired.”
Burns qualified for the championship game when defending champion Scottie Scheffler missed a four-foot putt when he could birdie on the 20th hole of their semifinal.
With that extra chance, Burns birdied from a bunker with a 15-foot putt, to advance on the board.
Young had quickly taken the lead. Burns took the lead with a birdie on the sixth but on the next hole Young missed a six-foot putt. It was his first bogey since the seventh hole Thursday.
“It’s easy to think you’re so close,” Young said. There’s a guy standing between you and winning the tournament. And that guy is Sam Burns playing really well.
The highlight was his semi-final win over McIlroy, who looked untouchable for much of the week. McIlroy was two shots ahead with three holes to play when Young won the 16th with a birdie.
Scheffler was trying to join Tiger Woods as the only consecutive winner, and he had a two-stroke lead over Burns over 10 holes.
Scheffler had to birdie the 18th green for a birdie to force overtime. He had won the match on the second extra hole at No. 13 – except that he missed his putt – and Burns ended up taking the lead.
Burns in the title match was nearly invincible.
McIlroy and Scheffler met in the consolation match, which McIlroy won 2 and 1.
Burns, who had 40 birdies in the week, moved up to 10th in the world and took home $3.5m from the $20m purse.
