Dell Match Play: March Madness—golf style

What: The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.

When: March 27-31

The Scorecard: Golf’s match play championship is significantly different from a standard stroke-play event on the PGA Tour, which adds variation to the tried-and-tested format most fans see each week. The match play, which pits 64 of the world’s best players head-to-head, offers a very different take on tournament golf, one with players going head-to-head over the week.

In more recent years, match play, where score is determined by who wins a specific hole with the lowest score (or tie by halving a hole), has been found at the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.

How it works: The players receive a seed from one to four, and a blind draw creates four 16-player groupings. The winning golfers in each match move to the next round until there are only four remaining. The quarter-finals will be played on March 24, while the semi-finals and finals (which used to be 36 holes, but are now conducted over 18 holes) are played on Sunday.

Who’s playing: Invitations to the event went out on March 12, and every year there are players that decline to participate. Check out the bracket here.

Who To Keep an Eye On

Bubba Watson
(Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Last year’s champion cruised through the final round last year after beating Kevin Kisner in the biggest blowout since the format switched to 18 holes.

Dustin Johnson
(Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Always a force in the match play, Johnson was bettered last year by Canadian Adam Hadwin.

Bryson Dechambeau
(Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The hottest player on the planet over the past year, Dechambeau’s unique style of play—and the fact he can be downright slow—could play with the heads of his opponents.

Rory McIlroy
(Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

With a great start to the year, including a win at The PLAYERS, and the ability to overpower a golf course, McIlroy’s success will likely hinge on how many putts he’s able to hole.

Brooks Koepka
(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Unable to play last year due to an injury, Koepka is a force in any tournament he plays in.

Tiger Woods
(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

With injuries keeping him out of the match play in recent years, and a neck issue complicating this year, it isn’t clear whether Tiger will tip it up in Austin. If he does, watch the hype for this event grow exponentially.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *