CARLSBAD, Calif. — The television ads promoting the Match Play Championship said the world would be watching.
Well, at least they'll be watching in Sacramento.
Scott McCarron and Kevin Sutherland were born one year apart in California's capital. They have played against each other at every level — but never on a stage like this, and not with $1 million awaiting the winner of Sunday's 36-hole match.
"To be playing each other in the finals, it's amazing," Sutherland said.
They became the most unlikely survivors in the free-for-all this week at La Costa Resort, both winning semifinal matches that came down to the final hole.
McCarron, who gave up golf until he discovered the long-handled putter, beat Paul Azinger by rolling in a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Sutherland outlasted Brad Faxon, one of the best putters in the game who blew a chance to extend the match with a three-putt from 15 feet.
That summed up a bizarre week in the most unpredictable of the World Golf Championship events.
"Man, this is pressure packed," McCarron said. "Anything is possible."
Tiger Woods and the rest of golf's biggest names were gone after the first two rounds. The finalists are two journeymen — McCarron the No. 45 seed, Sutherland at No. 62 — whose most memorable match was the San Joaquin Sectionals in high school 20 years ago.
McCarron recalls being 6-up with nine holes to play until Sutherland, who is a year older, posted a 29 on the back and beat him 1-up.
"I still had this picture of us shaking hands," McCarron said. "Kevin was wearing the ugliest pair of shorts you've ever seen in your life."
When Sutherland made it to the PGA Tour in 1996, McCarron sent him the photo welcoming him to the big leagues with a note: "You cannot wear those shorts out here."
The matches ended bitterly for Faxon and Azinger, who played perhaps the most consistent golf of the week but chose the wrong time to make their worst mistake.
Azinger and McCarron traded one great shot after another to exchange the lead early on the back nine, and they were all square coming to the 17th. McCarron hit first and stuffed it into 3 feet, and Azinger followed him with a wedge that was equally precise.
On they went to the 18th, where Azinger finally blinked.
From the fairway, he went straight at the flag on the left side of the green but pulled it slightly into the thick, gnarly rough. McCarron played it safe to the middle of the green and left himself 40 feet.
McCarron went first.
"Get it close," a fan screamed as he sent the putt on his way. The outcome was much better, dropping into the heart of the cup as Azinger lowered his head.
"I was trying to make it," McCarron said. "Paul probably has one of the best short games out here, so I was expecting him to get it up and down. I felt I had to make it."
Azinger needed a miracle chip, but it barely reached the green.
"I played 35 holes today and I didn't hit many bad shots — except that one," Azinger said. "I let him off the hook. I went to sleep on my second shot."
Azinger will play an 18-hole consolation match Sunday against Faxon, who might be feeling even worse.
Faxon never trailed in any of his three matches going in Saturday and, after a tremendous comeback to beat Jose Maria Olazabal in 20 holes, he appeared to be in great shape to go extra holes against Sutherland.
Sutherland missed it in the same spot as Azinger, and his pitch barely reached the green. Faxon had a 15-foot birdie putt to extend the match. He just missed it to the left and it rolled 3 feet by.
"It was not a gimme," Sutherland said. "Unfortunately for Brad, that was proven."
After Sutherland missed his par, Faxon pulled his putt for a bogey, snatched up the ball and threw it toward his caddie. The ball hit the towel hanging from the shoulder of Sutherland's caddie.
That Sutherland is even around for the final is shocking. Just four days ago, he was 2-down with two holes to play against David Duval when he birdied the last two holes from 12 feet and 10 feet, then knocked out Duval with a two-putt birdie on the 20th hole.
"To think that at that point I'm pretty much done, and where it ends up now . . . it's pretty amazing," Sutherland said. "If I had parred one of those holes, I would have been home Wednesday night. Funny how golf is."
Earlier Saturday, Olazabal holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force overtime with Faxon, but Faxon prevailed by saving par with a 4-foot putt, then winning with an 18-foot birdie on the 11th hole. Azinger defeated Bob Estes 2 and 1.
McCarron also is happy to be in the final. After a holding off Sergio Garcia in the third round, he was 2-down to Tom Lehman at the turn before winning the next six holes — four of them were birdies — in a 4 and 3 victory.
McCarron-Sutherland should be a thriller for the folks in Sacramento, but a tough sell everywhere else in the world. Such is the nature of match play, where anything goes and the seedings mean next to nothing.
"If you're golf fans — and not just Tiger fans — this should be a good one," Azinger said.
It should be in Sacramento, anyway.