Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson

WGC Match Play: Dustin Johnson faces Jon Rahm in final


World number one Dustin Johnson remained on course to create history as he reached the final of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Sunday.

Johnson, who is looking to become the first player to have won all four World Golf Championship events, beat Japan's Hideto Tanihara by one hole to set up a mouthwatering showdown with Spain's Jon Rahm at Austin Country Club.

Rahm beat American Bill Haas 3&2 in their semi-final and will become the youngest ever winner of a WGC event if he can overcome Johnson in the 18-hole final.

The 22-year-old, who was the world's top-ranked amateur while studying at Arizona State University, is currently 25th in the world after winning his first PGA Tour title in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January.

And he could rise as high as 10th in the standings with victory in his just his second World Golf Championships event, having finished tied third behind Johnson in Mexico earlier this month.

Johnson and Tiger Woods are the only players with four or more WGC titles and although Woods won an incredible 18, the former world number one failed to collect the HSBC Champions trophy in his only two appearances.

There was never more than one hole between Rahm and Haas until the former followed a birdie on the 13th with another on the 15th, before sealing victory by getting up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-five 16th.

Johnson had appeared in command against Tanihara when he reduced the par-five sixth to a drive and an eight iron to set up an eagle, before moving further ahead with a birdie on the next.

Tanihara, who defeated two-time major winner Jordan Spieth in his first group match, reduced his deficit to a single hole before losing the 12th after three-putting it for par, but birdied the next two holes to get back to all square.

Seeking a third win in succession and to become the third player after Rory McIlroy (2015) and Woods (three times) to win this event as top seed, Johnson had not been taken to the 17th hole all week.

But the US Open champion produced a superb tee shot to set up a birdie from six feet to regain the lead, before scrambling a par on the 18th after Tanihara had missed from 12 feet to force extra holes.

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play results


Seedings in brackets

Semi-finals (Sunday): 

Dustin Johnson (1) bt Hideto Tanihara (54) 1up

Jon Rahm (21) bt Bill Haas (42) 3&2

Quarter-finals (Saturday):

Jon Rahm (21) bt Soren Kjeldsen (62) 7&5 

Bill Haas (42) bt Phil Mickelson 3&1

Hideto Tanihara (54) bt Ross Fisher (47) 4&2

Duston Johnson (1) bt Alex Noren (8) 3&2

Click here for full review

Round of 16 (Saturday): 

Soren Kjeldsen (62) bt William McGirt  (48) 5&4

Ross Fisher (47) bt Bubba Watson (13) 4&3

Jon Rahm (21) bt Charles Howell III (61) 6&4

Phil Mickelson (14) bt Marc Leishman (28) 4&3

Bill Haas (42) bt Kevin Na (46) 1 up

Dustin Johnson (1) bt Zach Johnson (44) 5&4

Hideto Tanihara (54) bt Paul Casey (12) 2&1

Alex Noren (8) bt Brooks Koepka (20) 3&1 

Click here for full review

Group games (Wednesday-Friday)

Seedings in brackets

GROUP 1: Dustin Johnson (1), Jimmy Walker (22), Martin Kaymer (46), Webb Simpson (64) 

Wednesday: Johnson bt Simpson 5&3, Kaymer bt Walker 3&2

Thursday: Johnson bt Kaymer 3&2, Walker bt Simpson 3&2 

Friday: Johnson bt Walker 4&3, Kaymer bt Simpson 3&2

Dustin Johnson through to last 16

GROUP 2: Rory McIlroy (2), Emiliano Grillo (30), Gary Woodland (37), Soren Kjeldsen (68)

Wednesday: Kjeldsen bt McIlroy 2&1, Woodland bt Grillo 3&2

Thursday: McIlroy bt Woodland via withdrawal, Kjeldsen bt Grillo 4&3

Friday: McIlroy halved with Grillo, Kjeldsen bt Woodland via withdrawal

Soren Kjeldsen through to last 16

GROUP 3: Jason Day (3), Marc Leishman (32), Lee Westwood (49), Pat Perez (62)

Wednesday: Perez bt Day via withdrawal, Leishman bt Westwood 3&2

Thursday: Westwood bt Day via withdrawal, Perez bt Leishman 2&1

Friday: Leishman bt Day via withdrawal, Westwood bt Perez 2&1

Marc Leishman beat Perez and Westwood in play-off to reach last 16

GROUP 4: Hideki Matsuyama (4), Louis Oosthuizen (27), Ross Fisher (53), Jim Furyk (57)

Wednesday: Oosthuizen bt Fisher 4&3, Matsuyama halved with Furyk

Thursday: Fisher bt Matsuyama 2&1, Oosthuizen bt Furyk 3&2

Friday: Oosthuizen bt Matsuyama 6&4, Fisher bt Furyk 4&2

Ross Fisher beat Oosthuizen in play-off to reach last 16

GROUP 5: Jordan Spieth (6), Ryan Moore (36), Yuta Ikeda (41), Hideto Tanihara (60)

Wednesday: Tanihara bt Spieth 4&2, Moore halved with Ikeda

Thursday: Spieth bt Ikeda 4&2, Moore halved with Tanihara

Friday: Spieth halved with Moore, Tanihara bt Ikeda 3&1

Hideto Tanihara through to last 16

GROUP 6: Justin Thomas (7), Matt Fitzpatrick (31), Kevin Na (52), Chris Wood (55)

Wednesday: Thomas bt Wood 2&1, Na bt Fitzpatrick 5&4

Thursday: Na bt Thomas 4&2, Fitzpatrick bt Wood 4&2

Friday: Fitzpatrick bt Thomas 2&1, Wood bt Na 2&1

Kevin Na beat Fitzpatrick in play-off to reach last 16

GROUP 7: Sergio Garcia (10), Jon Rahm (25), Kevin Chappell (42), Shane Lowry (59)

Wednesday: Garcia halved with Lowry, Rahm bt Chappell 3&2

Thursday: Garcia bt Chappell 4&3, Rahm bt Lowry 2&1

Friday: Rahm bt Garcia 6&4, Chappell bt Lowry 1up

Jon Rahm through to last 16

GROUP 8: Alex Noren (11), Francesco Molinari (29), Bernd Wiesberger (40), Thongchai Jaidee (63)

Wednesday: Noren bt Jaidee 3&2, Wiesberger bt Molinari 2up

Thursday: Noren bt Wiesberger 3&2, Jaidee bt Molinari 5&3

Friday: Noren bt Molinari via withdrawal, Wiesberger bt Jaidee 1up

Alex Noren through to last 16

GROUP 9: Patrick Reed (12), Brooks Koepka (24), Kevin Kisner (38), Jason Dufner (65)

Wednesday: Reed halved Dufner, Koepka bt Kisner 6&5

Thursday: Kisner bt Reed 1up, Koepka bt Dufner 6&5

Friday: Koepka bt Reed 1up, Kisner bt Dufner 2&1

Brooks Koepka through to last 16

GROUP 10: Tyrrell Hatton (14), Rafa Cabrera Bello (26), Jeunghun Wang (45), Charles Howell III (67)

Wednesday: Hatton bt Howell III 2&1, Cabrera Bello bt Wang 4&3

Thursday: Hatton bt Wang 2up, Howell III bt Cabrera Bello 1up

Friday: Cabrera Bello bt Hatton 2&1, Howell III bt Wang 2&1

Tyrell Howell III beat Cabrera Bello and Hatton in play-off to reach last 16

GROUP 11: Danny Willett (15), Russell Knox (21), Bill Haas (47), K.T. Kim (70)

Wednesday: Kim bt Willett 4&2, Knox bt Haas 3&2

Thursday: Haas bt Willett 6&5, Kim bt Knox 3&1

Friday: Willett bt Knox 4&2, Haas bt Kim 4&2

Bill Haas beat Kim in play-off to reach last 16

GROUP 12: Paul Casey (16), Charl Schwartzel (28), Ben An (51), Joost Luiten (66)

Wednesday: Casey bt Luiten 2&1, Schwartzel bt Hun An 6&5

Thursday: Casey bt An 1up, Schwartzel bt Luiten 4&3

Friday: Casey bt Schwartzel 4&3, Luiten bt An 1up

Paul Casey through to last 16

GROUP 13: Bubba Watson (17), Thomas Pieters (34), Scott Piercy (43), Jhonattan Vegas (61)

Wednesday: Watson bt Vegas 1up, Pieters bt Piercy 3&2

Thursday: Watson bt Piercy 4&3, Vegas bt Pieters 3&1

Friday: Watson halved with Pieters, Vegas bt Piercy 3&1

Bubba Watson through to last 16

GROUP 14: Phil Mickelson (18), J.B. Holmes (35), Daniel Berger (39), Si Woo Kim (69)

Wednesday: Mickelson bt Kim 5&3, Berger bt Holmes 7&5

Thursday: Mickelson bt Berger 5&4, Holmes halved with Kim

Friday: Mickelson bt Holmes 6&5, Kim bt Berger 1up

Phil Mickelson through to last 16

GROUP 15: Branden Grace (19), Brandt Snedeker (23), William McGirt (54), Andy Sullivan (58)

Wednesday: Grace bt Sullivan 4&2, McGirt bt Snedeker 2up

Thursday: McGirt bt Grace 2&1, Snedeker bt Sullivan 2&1

Friday: Snedeker bt Grace 5&4, McGirt bt Sullivan 1up

William McGirt through to last 16

GROUP 16: Matt Kuchar (20), Tommy Fleetwood (33), Zach Johnson (50), Brendan Steele (56)

Wednesday: Kuchar halved with Steele, Fleetwood bt Johnson 1up

Thursday: Johnson bt Kuchar 2up, Steele bt Fleetwood 1up

Friday: Kuchar bt Fleetwood 4&2, Johnson bt Steele 1up

Zack Johnson through to last 16

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