Match Play Time! It's The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Preview
Prepare to see that photo a lot folks. People LOVE that bridge and for good reason. I’m a huge bridge guy; this is a great bridge. Not too gaudy but just classy enough to make you say, “Yep, that’s a nice bridge.” Honestly it’s perhaps the most Austin bridge one could imagine. If you took an alien who’d never seen a bridge and said, “draw Austin bridge,” they’d draw that bridge. Thing just screams Austin.
Anyway.
The Event
The modus operandi here is simple — it’s match play and we love match play. It’s different, it’s what you play with your buddies, and it pits guys mano a mano in a sport that 99.99% of the time pits player vs the golf course. Last year the event moved from Arizona to Austin. Last year the event also mixed up the format.
Works like this: 16 pods of 4, round robin, best record from each pod advances to Saturday’s sweet 16. They picked the pods by ranking the top 16 as A players, then picking balls out of lottery ball machines. The balls represented B, C, and D players… and wallah, we’ve got a field of 64.
Here’s the left side of the bracket.
And the right side.
That’s a lot of names, a lot of lines, a lot of numbers, and more pods than Barstool Sports. Impossible to digest it all — let’s move on.
The Track
Austin Country Club is a 7,086 yard, par 72 Pete Dye design. It’s got a lot of unique, different, and interesting holes. With tricky par 3s, short par 4s, reachable par 5s, and lots in between, it’s a GREAT match play course.
If you’ve got some time, here are a bunch of sweet pro-tracers from last year’s event.
Notable Holes
12th hole, par 5, 535 yards
Easily my favorite hole on the course. Yes it has the bridge and you guys know I love the bridge. But beyond that, it’s a visually tight tee shot. If hit well, you’re in a go-for-it situation that demands a hell of a shot. Anything flirting left is water; anything bailed out right makes a birdie tricky.
Awesome hole strategically. Awesome hole visually. As the 12th hole, and with a drivable par 4 to follow, it pops in at an interesting time in the proceedings.
13th hole, par 4, 305 yards
Obviously reachable for just about everyone depending on wind directions. They’ll move the tees around to slightly different yardages, but last year we saw a lot of players just pump it over the green and into the grandstands behind it. Serves as a good backstop and you can take the water short out of play.
Fun hole in the middle part of the back nine. See who’s got balls.
17th, par 3, 135 yards
It’s becoming a staple of any universally loved course to have a great, short par 3. This is Austin CC’s that. With such short yardage and an elevated tee, you’ll see guys throw it in tight here, but also see a loose swing or two cost some guys at huge moments.
We saw everything from clutch birdies to crushing doubles here last year. Expecting more of the same.
18th hole, par 4, 368 yards
When you’re previewing a match play event, you have to preview the 18th. Any match that comes down to this hole will be looking for some dramatic birdies to finish. At under 400 yards, it’s a getable hole… especially with this view on players’ approach shots.
Inviting. Can’t wait to watch heroics and heartbreak here.
Clubhouse
I just took the online tour — it may not look like much from the outside, aka it kinda looks like someone’s house, but the dining room is eloquent, there’s a pool, and there’s even marina access to the lake. Good stuff.
Austin CC Clubhouse Grade: 7.6.
The Field
It’s a WGC and it’s the match play, so it’s essentially 64 of the top 69 (nice) players in the world. There are a few notable guys opting out this week: Rickie, Henrik, Adam Scott, JRose and Adam Hadwin.
You know who’s not skipping? JT, who’s gotta be feeling fresh coming off a nice wedding weekend.
A fresh, fiery role model that is.
Tough group for Justin. Here are some betting odds.
Let’s get to predictions.
Predictions
Everybody knows a 156-man stroke play event is hard enough to predict; match play’s even tougher. A guy can shoot 75 and advance, or shoot 65 and go home.
Fun times. Here’s my bracket.
I think I heard somebody say Rory’s 11-2-1 all time in this event? As Riggs Barstool would say, “Love that.”
Here are some Rory highlights from last year.
Coverage
Golf Channel
Wednesday: 2-8 p.m.
Thursday: 2-8 p.m.
Friday: 2-8 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
NBC
Saturday: 2-6 p.m.
Sunday: 3-7 p.m.
Final Thoughts
Brand new ep of “Fore Play” out today featuring the man behind the 300k+ followers Shooter McGavin account. Fascinating stuff from a normal dude who hasn’t broke character in like half a decade.
Enjoy Austin.