how does match play work in world golf championship

WGC-Match Play format: Everything you need to know

• THE FIELD. Sixty-four of the best players in the world. ...
• THE GROUPS. The field is divided into 16 four-player groups (the draw is Monday night), and each player will compete in round-robin matches on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
• ROUND-ROBIN FORMAT. ...
• KNOCKOUT STAGE. ...

Full Answer

How does match play work in golf?

Unlike in stroke play, where a player aims to post the lowest score over 18 holes, golfers in match play have to try to win more holes than their opponent. In theory, match play golf can be viewed as a series of 18 separate games within a round. Each golfer plays a ball and after every hole, the scores are compared to determine who wins the hole.

Why are the World Golf Championships held in a match play format?

When the World Golf Championships were formed in 1999, it was decided one of the events would be held in match play format, which meant the return of an official match play event on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

How does the PGA Tour’s Players Championship work?

Here’s how the tournament works: Field size: Sixty-four players comprise the field, based off the Official World Golf Ranking as of March 15. If any player decides not to compete, he is replaced in order of the ranking at the cut-off date.

What happened to the World Match Play Championship in England?

The World Match Play Championship in England continued, but lost prestige after the introduction of the WGC event, and eventually became defunct in 2014.

What is the format of the WGC match play?

The format of the new WGC competition was a straight knock out tournament involving the top 64 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, with each match played over 18 holes, except the final which was played over 36 holes.

How does the PGA match play work?

Match play is a form of play where a player (or players) plays directly against an opponent (or opponents) in a head-to-head match. You win a hole by completing it in the fewest number of strokes, and you win a match when you are winning by more holes than remain to be played.

How are ties broken in WGC Matchplay?

In those cases where there is a tie in the group, the PGA Tour, since 2016, has decided those ties with a sudden-death, stroke-play playoff in each group that goes off the first tee at host Austin Country Club.

How does the Dell match play event work?

The WGC Dell Technologies Match Play format 64 golfers are seeded one through 64 across 16 groups, consisting of four golfers per group. The four golfers in a group play against one another on each of the three days in a match play format. Match play is a golf game that is played by holes, not by strokes.

How is golf match play scored?

Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes.

What does 2 and 1 mean in golf match play?

The first number in such a score tells you the number of holes by which the winner is victorious, and the second number tells you the hole on which the match ended. So "2 and 1" means that the winner was 2 holes ahead with 1 hole to play (the match ended after No.

What happens if there is a tie in match play?

Breaking a Tie In most match-play competitions, extra holes will be played until somebody wins one hole and the match. For example, if players A and B were tied after 18 holes and it took three more holes for A to win, the result would be that Player A won in 21 holes.

How are Dell match play groups determined?

The highest-ranked 16 players were each top seed in their respective groups, with players ranked 17-32, 33-48 and 49-64 then drawn at random to complete each of the spots in the four-player groups.

How much does Dell match play win?

The winner's share of the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play prize pool is at $2,100,000, with the second-place finisher taking home $1,320,000. This means the final match is worth $780,000.

How many points does a halved match cost?

Winning a match is worth one point, a halved match is a half point and a loss is zero points. No matches will extend beyond 18 holes, and the winner of each group will advance to the single-elimination Round of 16. If two or more players in the same group are tied after the round-robin session, they’ll compete in a hole-by-hole playoff to see who advances.

Is Tiger Woods in the field?

And yes, if you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods is in the field for the first time since 2013.

How many holes are there in a golf match?

All matches are played over 18 holes.

When did the World Golf Championships start?

When the World Golf Championships were formed in 1999 , it was decided one of the events would be held in match play format, which meant the return of an official match play event on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. The WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play was in effect the successor of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, which was discontinued. The World Match Play Championship in England continued, but lost prestige after the introduction of the WGC event, and eventually became defunct in 2014. The format of the new WGC competition was a straight knock out tournament involving the top 64 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, with each match played over 18 holes, except the final which was played over 36 holes. The first two events were held in February 1999 and 2000 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Southern California.

How many times has the PGA tournament been held in Arizona?

Before moving to Austin it had been hosted in Arizona eight times, California eight times, and Australia once. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on the PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Japan Golf Tour.

What were the two major match play tournaments in the pre TV era?

The two major match play tournaments in the pre TV era were the PGA Championship, which converted to stroke play format in 1958, and the British PGA Matchplay Championship which faced a slow decline after the introduction of the British PGA Championship in 1955 (which had a stroke play format), and eventually became defunct in 1979.

When was the 2015 WGC tournament?

The tournament moved from February to April 27 – May 3, the week prior to The Players Championship.

Where is Dell match play?

Since 2016, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is held at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas, United States.

Who is the only golfer to win all four World Golf Championships?

In 2015, Jason Day became the third player to win multiple WGC Match Plays, and in 2016 Dustin Johnson won to become the only player to have won all four World Golf Championships. In early 2019, a deal was signed for Dell Technologies to remain the sponsor, and Austin Country Club the host, until at least 2023.

What is match play?

Match Play: Match Play is the game played by holes instead of by strokes.

How many holes are in a single elimination match?

Single-elimination matches - 18 hole matches played to a conclusion. No halved matches. Matches all square after 18 holes will be extended until a winner is determined.

What is the rule for a golfer to concede a hole?

Concession of next stroke, hole or match (Rule 2-4): When the opponent’s ball is at rest or is deemed to be at rest under Rule 16-2, the player may concede the opponent to have holed out with his next stroke and the ball may be removed by either side with a club or otherwise. A player may concede a hole or a match at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or the match. Concession of a stroke, hole or match may not be declined or withdrawn.

How many holes are there in golf?

During group play (rounds 1, 2 and 3) players play 18 hole matches against each of the other players in their group. Matches played to either a conclusion or a halve. Matches all square after 18 holes are not extended. Points awarded to players based on results of each match as follows: Winner 1 point, Loser 0 point, Halved each player ½ point.

What is round 7 in golf?

Round 7 - Sunday afternoon – Consolation match for third place (two players) and championship match (two players). Matches all square after 18 holes in rounds 7 are extended on holes 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary.

How many players are in the semi finals in golf?

Round 6 - Sunday morning – Two semi-final matches (four players) - winners advance to the championship match, losers advance to match for third place. Matches all square after 18 holes in rounds 6 are extended on holes 12 through 18 and repeated if necessary.

How many players are in the pool in the game of chess?

Players are then placed into four pools of 16 players.

How do you win a golf match?

Each hole is scored individually, and as a discrete event. A player (or team) wins a match by winning the most holes over the course of a round. A hole is won by the player (or team) who completed the hole in the fewest strokes. The total number of strokes in the round matters not at all.

Why is each hole played as a separate event?

Because each hole is played as a separate event, it is possible for one player to get so far ahead in a match that the other has no chance to win. For example, if Spieth and McIlroy finish the 16th hole, and Spieth is 3-Up, there is no need to continue. The best McIlroy could do is to win the 17th and 18th, and he still would lose by one hole. So the match ends right there.

What is a halve in golf?

Confusingly, the term Halve also is used when players tie on an individual hole. Tied holes, however, are not counted in scoring an individual match. You will never see a score like Spieth 3 1/2 McIlroy 1 1/2.

What is stroke play in golf?

For most golfers, the game is “stroke play.” In these rounds, all of the golfers play a certain number of holes, and the player who has the lowest combined total score is the winner .

What does it mean when you win 1 up in golf?

If a player wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a player was only 1 up, and the other player could have made the match All Square on the final hole.

What is the difference between Stoke Play and Match Play?

For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it is just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.

What happens if a match is tied?

If a match is tied, the two players generally play until the tie is broken — that is, one of the players wins a hole. In many team events — such as the Ryder Cup — a tie would result in both sides getting a half a point. This is known as a “Halve”

Overview

The WGC Match Play, currently titled as the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play for sponsorship reasons, is a professional men's golf tournament that has been held since 1999. It is the only one of the World Golf Championships to have been contested using the match play format. Since 2016, it has been held at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas, United States.
Previous names include WGC-Dell Match Play (2015), WGC-Cadillac Match Play (2014), WGC-Ac…

History

Structure

Multiple winners

Records

External links