After a putt on No. 16, Kevin Kisner left the course at Austin Country Club victorious Sunday with a 3-and-2 win over Matt Kuchar.
Kisner won his first the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play after recording three bogies— all which occurred on the front nine— and four birdies.
Kisner advanced to finals last year, but fell short, losing to 2018 champion Bubba Watson. He finished the job this year.
“I just learned a lot,” Kisner said of last year’s final round loss after Sunday’s match. “I learned a lot about preparation. I learned not to get too amped up for that final. You still got to come out and play golf. I don’t think either one of us played our best golf, but I drove it great all week with my Callaway driver.”
Kuchar, a former Georgia Tech golfer, trailed for most of the front nine, but a double bogey on No. 11 after his ball landed in the water on his first stroke put Kisner 2 up. Kuchar recorded his third bogey of the day four holes later to put Kisner 3 up through 15.
Kuchar, 40, won the WGC- Dell Technologies Match Play tournament in 2013, defeating 2012 champion Hunter Mahan.
Kisner advanced to the semifinal round after defeating Francesco Molinari 1 up earlier in the day. Kisner, a University of Georgia alumnus, recorded four birdies and two bogeys in his semifinal win, becoming the first back-to-back finalist in WGC-Match Play since Hunter Mahan in 2012 and 2013.
Kuchar, the 2013 WGC- Match Play champion, recorded five birdies and three bogeys in his semifinal win over Lucas Bjerregaard.
In the consolation match, Molinari defeated Bjerregaard, 4 and 2, to win third-place honors.
Kisner and Kuchar played in last year’s Round of 16 at WGC- Match Play. Kisner won the round 1 up on his way to the final which he lost to Bubba Watson.