WGC-Match Play: What to know for the PGA Tour's most unusual event
The WGC-Match Play is on deck as the PGA Tour prepares for one of two non-stroke-play tournaments of the season.
The field of 64 is set, and groups of four for the preliminary rounds were revealed Monday. Players will compete against their three in-group opponents in a round robin from Wednesday to Friday before each quartet's top seed advances to the round of 16. The tournament uses a single-elimination format from there.
When: March 24-28
Where: Austin, Texas
How to watch
| Date | Channel | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed. March 24 | Golf Channel | 2-8 p.m. |
| Thurs. March 25 | Golf Channel | 2-8 p.m. |
| Fri. March 26 | Golf Channel | 2-8 p.m. |
| Sat. March 27 | Golf Channel | 10 a.m-2 p.m. |
| NBC | 2-6 p.m. | |
| Sun. March 28 | Golf Channel | 10 a.m-2 p.m. |
| NBC | 3-7 p.m. |
Previous winners
2020: Canceled
2019: Kevin Kisner defeated Matt Kuchar
2018: Bubba Watson defeated Kevin Kisner
2017: Dustin Johnson defeated Jon Rahm
2016: Jason Day defeated Louis Oosthuizen
2015: Rory McIlroy defeated Gary Woodland
2014: Jason Day defeated Victor Dubuisson
2013: Matt Kuchar defeated Hunter Mahan
2012: Hunter Mahan defeated Rory McIlroy
The field
Sixty-four players will make up the match-play bracket, with Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, and Justin Rose the only top-40 ranked players skipping the event. Tiger Woods was eligible to play but is still recovering from his leg injuries.
Dustin Johnson enters the event as world No. 1, thus claiming the bracket's No. 1 seed. The top 16 ranked players in the field are all in separate round-robin groups.
Notable groups
| Group 1 | Seed |
|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson | 1 |
| Kevin Na | 28 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 41 |
| Adam Long | 61 |
| Group 2 | Seed |
|---|---|
| Justin Thomas | 2 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 22 |
| Kevin Kisner | 34 |
| Matt Kuchar | 52 |
| Group 5 | Seed |
|---|---|
| Bryson DeChambeau | 5 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 21 |
| Si Woo Kim | 45 |
| Antoine Rozner | 58 |
| Group 8 | Seed |
|---|---|
| Tyrrell Hatton | 8 |
| Lee Westwood | 18 |
| Sergio Garcia | 39 |
| Matt Wallace | 51 |
The full list of round-robin groups can be found here.
The course
Austin Country Club will host the match-play event for the fifth time. The Pete Dye-designed venue is a 7,108-yard par 71 that doesn't favor a specific style of play. Kisner and Kuchar, who are not known for their length, have found success at Austin in the past, while Johnson and Rahm faced off in a bombers-only final in 2017.
Betting corner
Bryson DeChambeau +1200
Dustin Johnson +1200
Justin Thomas +1200
Jon Rahm +1400
Collin Morikawa +1800
Rory McIlroy +1800
Patrick Cantlay +2000
Jordan Spieth +2500
Patrick Reed +2500
Paul Casey +2500
Tony Finau +2500
Viktor Hovland +2500
Xander Schauffele +2500
Cameron Smith +3300
Daniel Berger +3300
Matt Fitzpatrick +3300
Sungjae Im +3300
Webb Simpson +3300
Joaquin Niemann +4000
Louis Oosthuizen +4000
Scottie Scheffler +4000
Sergio Garcia +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4500
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
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