Perez makes last four on debut in Texas

Victor Perez continued his stunning debut run at the 2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as he convincingly took down Sergio Garcia 4&3 to move into the semi-finals at Austin Country Club.

The Frenchman had looked in imperious form as he beat fellow debutant Robert MacIntyre 5&4 in the last 16 and there was no let up in the afternoon as he overcame one of the most renowned match players in the world.

He is now guaranteed to at least match his best result in a World Golf Championships event after finishing fourth at the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions, and could claim the biggest win of his career after finishing second at three Rolex Series events.

He will face fellow European Tour member Billy Horschel in the semi-finals after the American beat Tommy Fleetwood on the first play-off hole in their quarter-final.

Scottie Scheffler beat Jon Rahm 3&1 to move into the last four and he will take on Matt Kuchar after the 2019 beaten finalist defeated Brian Harman 2&1.

Perez was studying at the University of New Mexico when fellow Frenchman Victor Dubuisson lost the final of this event on the fifth play-off hole to Jason Day in 2014, and he will take inspiration from his Ryder Cup winning countryman on Sunday.

"It's almost too bad that he didn't quite close it because it would have been an incredible story. But it gave us the belief in France that it was possible," he said.

"I think he got all the way to the top 15 in the world and played in the Ryder Cup and obviously he's done great things in World Match Play and bigger tournaments. It gave us the belief that it was possible back then and obviously I'm very pleased to be where I am today."

A poor tee shot from Perez on the first helped Garcia go one up but when both players put approaches to around 12 feet on the second, it was Perez who made his putt.

The 28-year-old won the next with an approach to three feet but Garcia hit back from similar range on the fourth in a nip and tuck opening.

Garcia had to take a drop on the fifth as Perez made a birdie and the 2017 Masters Tournament winner missed a six footer on the eighth to put Perez two up at the turn.

Water at the 13th meant that Garcia was three down and Perez put his second to seven feet at the 15th for a fourth birdie of the round and a comprehensive victory.

In the top match, Fleetwood holed a 25 footer on the first to move one up but the contest was all square at the fourth as Horschel almost repeated Fleetwood's ace from the round of 16 by putting his tee shot to two feet.

A Fleetwood birdie from long range on the ninth put the pressure on Horschel and he missed from four feet to be one down at the turn.

Horschel three putted the 11th but Fleetwood found the water on the 12th and it was still a one hole contest heading into the stretch.

It was developing into a classic match play encounter as Fleetwood found the water again on the 13th but Horschel let him off the hook, before the American holed a 30 footer on the next but Fleetwood followed him in for a half.

Horschel put a tee shot to eight feet on the 17th to square things up and after Fleetwood left a 12 footer for the match short on the last, he went out of bounds on the first play-off hole and Horschel was into the semi-finals.

"Today's a really good day, successful day," said Horschel. "And I came into the match with Tommy feeling like it's been a successful week. I knew I was playing another tough opponent in Tommy and I felt like whatever happened, happened, I was going to be happy.

"I've just got to go play my game. I've played match play enough. I've tried to play the opponent. I've tried different strategy, and I think over the last couple of years I realised just trying to play the golf course.

"There are certain times you've got to play your opponent but I think if you just try and make the score on that hole what you would do in a stroke play format, that's what suits me best. So that's what I'm going to do, play my game and then see where it puts me."

In the other half of the draw, Rahm found a native area with his second on the second and Scheffler put approaches inside five feet on the third and fifth to quickly move three up.

But Rahm put his tee shot close on the par three seventh and then made a birdie from seven feet on the ninth to trail by just one at the turn.

Scheffler was playing beautifully, however, and he put an approach to six feet from the rough on the tenth before Rahm found the water on the 12th and the gap was three once again.

The Spaniard hit a beautiful approach into the 15th to trim the gap to two holes but he would get no closer.

In the final match, Harman bogeyed the first to go one down and while he hit back with a birdie on the third, Kuchar made gains on the fourth and seventh to lead by two at the turn.

The 52nd seed was three up after the tenth but Harman hit back before the duo traded the 13th and 14th and the match ended as the 17th was halved in birdies after two excellent tee shots.