Burns routs Young 6&5 to win WGC Match Play final

WASHINGTON: Sam Burns captured the biggest title of his career by winning the WGC Match Play Championship on Sunday, routing Cameron Young 6&5 in an all-American final.

World number 15 Burns took a $3.5 million top prize at Austin Country Club in Texas by making eight birdies in the last 10 holes to dispatch 17th-ranked Young, last year’s British Open runner-up.

“What a week. Man, I’m so tired,” Burns said. “It was fun playing Cam. I know he didn’t have his best stuff.” It was the fifth career PGA title for Burns, who won all seven of his matches to become the first player to capture the WGC Match Play in his debut since Australian Geoff Ogilvy in 2006.

“I just tried to stack one good swing after another,” Burns said. “Really have tried to put the hard work in and it’s nice to see it paying off on the golf course.” Burns dethroned top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler in 21 holes in morning semi-finals while Young, last year’s PGA Rookie of the Year, ousted third-ranked Rory McIlroy in 19 holes.

“Felt like I found something this morning at the end of my match with Scottie and kind of was able to carry that on this afternoon,” Burns said. “It’s huge. I haven’t played my best golf the past couple months and was really struggling with my swing the past couple weeks.”