Some of the world’s best golfers will make the trip to Austin, Texas this week for the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. There will be 16 groups of four with every golfer set to play at least three matches. The top 16 ranked players have been put in separate groups to make sure they each have a chance to advance. Each player in each group will play each other to determine which golfers progress to the following round.
Event Details
Event: World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
Category: PGA
Date: March 22-26
Location: Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
The player with the best record in each of the four player groups advances to the Round of 16 for single-elimination match play. On Saturday morning, the winners of each group will meet in the round of 16, as per the draw. The quarterfinals will be staged on Saturday afternoon. The semi-finals and final will be played on Sunday.
Past Five Winners
2016: Jason Day
2015: Rory McIlroy
2014: Jason Day
2013: Matt Kuchar
2012: Hunter Mahan
What To Know About The Course
After six years at Dove Mountain, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play moved to Austin Country Club in Texas. The Pete Dye-designed course isn’t long at just over 7,000 yards but it does feature plenty of risk-reward holes. Unlike other tournaments, experience in the match play format is important. The winner will play seven matches over five days including two matches on both Saturday and Sunday. That means being in shape and injury-free is that much more important this week.
The Field
The tournament was supposed to feature the top-64 in the world rankings. However, the fact that it is scheduled so close to the US Masters means a number of golfers will not compete. Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose will all skip this week’s event but the field is still absolutely loaded. Rory McIlroy is the sports betting favorite at +700 odds. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is listed at +800 odds, along with Jorddan Spieth. The next tier includes Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama and Jon Rahm, who are all listed between +1500 and +2500 odds depending on the sportsbook.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jordan Spieth over Dustin Johnson
If everything goes accordingly then Johnson and Spieth will be in line to meet in the semis. That would be an ideal situation for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play with everybody looking forward to that potential matchup. D.J. is the top-ranked golfer in the world but there are reasons to think Spieth could have the edge in the head-to-head matchup. Spieth has the better course knowledge playing at the Austin Country Club. He has also been excellent in the match play format. Spieth should have no problem getting past his group while Johnson’s road is a little more difficult. Spieth could end up advancing further just based on the easier road. However, if they do meet there is still a good chance Spieth will win their head-to-head matchup.
Outright Winner Pick: Rory McIlroy
It’s hard to argue against McIlroy as the sports betting favorite to win this week. He is easily the most talented player in his group and he has a favorable road to the final if he advances. McIlroy has a strong match play record and he has dominated this event in the past. McIlroy has won the tournament and reached the semis in each of the last two years under the current format. Considering his overall talent, form and tournament history he should be in line for another strong performance this week. McIlroy isn’t a lock to win but he is easily the most likely to win the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Groups
Group 1: Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker, Martin Kaymer, Webb Simpson
Group 2: Rory McIlroy, Emiliano Grillo, Gary Woodland, Soren Kjeldsen
Group 3: Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Lee Westwood, Pat Perez
Group 4: Hideki Matsuyama, Louis Oosthuizen, Ross Fisher, Jim Furyk
Group 5: Jordan Spieth, Ryan Moore, Yuta Ikeda, Hideto Tanihara
Group 6: Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Kevin Na, Chris Wood
Group 7: Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Kevin Chappell, Shane Lowry
Group 8: Alex Noren, Francesco Molinari, Bernd Wiesberger, Thongchai Jaidee
Group 9: Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Kevin Kisner, Jason Dufner
Group 10: Tyrrell Hatton, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Jeunghun Wang, Charles Howell III
Group 11: Danny Willett, Russell Knox, Bill Haas, K.T. Kim
Group 12: Paul Casey, Charl Schwartzel, Byeong-Hun An, Joost Luiten
Group 13: Bubba Watson, Thomas Pieters, Scott Piercy, Jhonattan Vegas
Group 14: Phil Mickelson, J.B. Holmes, Daniel Berger, Si Woo Kim
Group 15: Branden Grace, Brandt Snedeker, William McGirt, Andy Sullivan
Group 16: Matt Kuchar, Tommy Fleetwood, Zach Johnson, Brendan Steele
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