Scheffler, Kisner advance to Match Play championship

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler reached the championship round at the Dell Technologies Match Play for the second straight year, this time with a lot more at stake.

A year ago, he was trying for his first PGA Tour victory. On Sunday, holding on to beat Dustin Johnson put him one win away from going to No. 1 in the world.

Scheffler took advantage of Johnson's mishaps and balky putter to go 5 up through 11 holes, then had to hold off a ferocious rally at Austin Country Club. He regained control when Johnson missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to fall 2 down, and then closed him out when Johnson's 15-foot birdie putt caught the lip.

The path doesn't get much easier for Scheffler. Next up Sunday afternoon was Kevin Kisner, who outlasted Canadian Corey Conners in a match so tight no one led by more than one hole.

Kisner joined Tiger Woods and Geoff Ogilvy as the only players to reach the championship match at least three times since this World Golf Championship began in 1999. He lost in the final in 2018 and won the following year. His record is 22-6-1 on this Pete Dye design, a winning rate second only to Ogilvy.

Scheffler was solid as usual, and Johnson was the worst he had been all week, especially on the green where Scheffler twice missed putts inside 10 feet and still had a 3-up lead through seven holes.

He nearly holed out from the fairway on the 10th, Johnson missed another putt on the 11th and Scheffler was 5 up and on his way. And then it changed.

Johnson won the 12th with a birdie. Scheffler, despite leading 4 up, curiously went with driver on the reachable par-4 13th over a portion of Lake Austin and came up short in the water. Johnson hit it tight on the next two holes, making from 10 feet and 4