Preview and Predictions for the 2016 WGC-Dell Match Play
The third of the four World Golf Championships events on the 2015-2016 PGA Tour calendar, the WGC-Dell Match Play gets underway Wednesday from Austin Country Club, in Austin, Texas.
With a new venue and a new sponsor, the match play is in the second year of a formatting reboot that implements a group-stage element at the front end, before funnelling the top man from each four-man group into a bracket-style elimination competition.
The tour’s only match play competition, Tiger Woods is the reigning king of the tournament with three wins. Last year, Rory McIlroy became the first No. 1 seed to lift the Walter Hagen Cup, freeing himself from the jaws of defeat several times en route to a 4 and 2 win over Gary Woodland.
With 48 of the 50 best golfers in the world in head-to-head competition and the opportunity to fill out your second March tournament-related bracket, what’s not to love?
Read on for the full preview, favorites and dark-horses breakdown and predicted winner.
Where to Watch
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Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy
Where: Austin Country Club, 7,073 yards, par 71
What
Total Purse: $9,500,000
Winning Share: $1,620,000
FedEx Points to Winner: 550
When
Wednesday-Friday: 2-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (GC), 2-6 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (GC), 3-7 p.m. ET (NBC)
Biggest Storylines
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The WGC Match Play Championships has bounced around between locations in recent years. The tournament moves to Austin Country Club for the Dell-sponsored edition of the competition. Austin CC was founded in 1899; however, the club has only occupied its current site since 1984. Course designer Pete Dye's pair of contrasting nines on the edge of Lake Austin ought to make for a good show. And on the plus side, it won't snow, as it did in 2013 at Dove Mountain.
As mentioned, 48 of the top 50 golfers in the world are part of the 62-man field this week. The only two absent parties: Jim Furyk, who continues to recover from wrist surgery, and Henrik Stenson, who is sitting out this week due to scheduling conflicts. Lee Westwood earned a spot thanks to Jim Furyk's absence; Westy will be making a record-breaking 16th appearance in the competition.
This year, matches in the group-play stage will be able to be halved, avoiding marathon sessions at that stage of the competition.
And there will be a notable absence of vigor and plaid this year as match play stalwart Ian Poulter, at No. 67 in the Official World Golf Rankings, didn't make the field.
Certainly there will be an impulse to assess the soundness of top players' games ahead of the Masters. However, given the match play format and the new venue, saying things like "Jordan Spieth needs a strong showing" are probably imprudent. That said, expect to hear things like, "Jordan Spieth needs a strong showing."
The Favorites
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Rory McIlroy: 18-6 WGC Match Play record. 2-0-1 Ryder Cup singles record. McIlroy finished tied for 27th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his most recent start, carding two stellar rounds and two abysmal 75s. Rory is eighth on tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green.
Jordan Spieth: 5-2 WGC Match Play record. 0-1-0 Ryder Cup singles record. 0-2-0 Presidents Cup singles record. Fifth in birdies, seventh in strokes gained: total, Jordan Spieth is having another statistically stellar season, even if recent results have been somewhat lackluster by his lofty standards.
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The Dark Horses
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Matt Kuchar: 18-6 WGC-Match Play record. 1-2-0 Ryder Cup singles record. 0-3-0 Presidents Cup singles record. Kuchar arrives in Austin after a missed cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, so those with a short-term bias will write him off. His match play record is solid, though, so it could prove perilous to ignore the veteran.
Graeme McDowell: 9-11 WGC Match Play record. 3-1-0 Ryder Cup singles record. GMac has done better work in Ryder Cup singles play than the WGC Match play in the past. However, the Northern Irishman is a gritty competitor. He's missed a pair of cuts in a row, but neither by a wide margin, and match play is a different beast.
Prediction
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Winner: Rickie Fowler
Fowler has a solid WGC Match Play record (10-5). While he hasn't excelled in singles competition in international play, we're taking encouragement from his steely takedown of Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in last year's Players Championship.
The Oklahoma State alum has tallied top-10 finishes in his last three starts and has taken a couple of weeks off to rest and practice ahead of the match play, so he ought to be sharp and ready to go.
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