The DP World Tour heads to the United States this week for the WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club as many of the biggest stars in the game gather in Texas. Here are your five things to know.
World Number One defends
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler arrives in his hometown state of Texas full of confidence after he returned to the summit of the Official World Golf Ranking with his sixth victory in the last 13 months at THE PLAYERS Championship. Last year, the American defeated countryman Kevin Kisner 4&3 to claim his first World Golf Championships title. He beat Matt Fitzpatrick on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff in his final group match to advance to the knockout phases, before overcoming title holder Billy Horschel, Séamus Power and Dustin Johnson on his way to setting up a final with Kisner. Two weeks later, he won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament. The 26-year-old will be looking to become only the second player after Tiger Woods in 2004 to successfully defend the WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play since the event was first held in 1999.
Field of stars at awesome Austin
The WGC- Dell Technologies Match Play has, since 2016, been staged at Austin Country Club after previously being played in Arizona, California and for one year in Australia. Only Woods (three), Jason Day (two) and Geoff Ogilvy (two) have won the tournament on multiple occasions. The field features 64 of the top 77 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, split into 16 groups of four, with Ryan Fox, Adrian Meronk and Kurt Kitayama making their event debuts. The star-studded field includes eight of the top-ten ranked players in the OWGR: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris and Viktor Hovland. From Wednesday to Friday, the event will see the field compete in round-robin match play, with the winner from each group progressing to the final 16 knockout stages. The last-16 and quarter-finals take place on Saturday, with the semi-finals and final set for Sunday.
Hero Cup stars on show
In a Ryder Cup year, matchplay competition takes on greater significance for players looking to make both the European and USA teams. With the 2023 edition at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club just six months out, this week’s stop on the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR schedules provides another opportunity to impress. There is a $20 million prize fund available along with 8,000 points on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and 5,000 Ryder Cup points. Eight players who featured at the inaugural Hero Cup in January are in action, including debutant Meronk, who holed the winning putt for Continental Europe in Abu Dhabi. Joining the Pole in the United States from those who competed at the new team match play event are Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Power, Alex Noren, Victor Perez and Sepp Straka. In total, there are 12 Europeans in the field.
What else is at stake?
The WGC Match Play is the last event for players to qualify for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. The 50 leading players on the Official World Golf Ranking, when published the week prior to the first men’s Major of the year, are set to grace the historic event at Augusta National next month. In this week’s field in Austin, Lucas Herbert (55), Victor Perez (63) and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (68) all currently sit outside the qualification criteria and will be hoping for a strong performance. Australian Min Woo Lee, meanwhile, will be hoping to consolidate his place in top 50 (he currently lies in 45th) as he targets his second consecutive Augusta appearance.
Social impact initiatives support local charities
In its 23-year history, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play has raised more than $21 million for global charities. Since the tournament moved to Austin Country Club seven years ago it has exceeded $6m through the charitable support of the local community, with more than $1.2m contributed last year. Dell Children’s Medical Center and First Tee – Greater Austin, a programme which empowers children through the game of golf, will again directly benefit from funds that are raised at this year’s edition. Ahead of play getting under way later this week, two kids from the charity beneficiaries will be recognised, honoured and meet their heroes as part of a VIP experience at the tournament.
