The PGA Tour takes a detour this week in more ways than one. The gang travels to Austin, Tex., to compete in the second of four World Golf Championships, this one being the Dell Technologies Match Play. The field of 64 players is divided into 16 groups of four going against each other over the first three days in a round-robin, match play format. The winner from each group advances to the elimination stage over the weekend. The event is played at the 7,128-yard, par-71 Austin Country Club. Defending champion Bubba Watson opened with odds of +3050 at BookMaker.eu. He’s playing behind betting favorite Rory McIlroy ( +775 ) and second favorite Dustin Johnson ( +950 ).
Odds to Win WGC Dell Technologies Match Play at BookMaker.eu
Rory McIlroy +775
Dustin Johnson +950
Justin Thomas +1325
Jon Rahm +1450
Justin Rose +2250
Tommy Fleetwood +2350
Brooks Koepka +2350
Paul Casey +2555
Tiger Woods +2555
Jason Day +2775
Francesco Molinari +2800
Bubba Watson +3050
Bryson DeChambeau +3400
Sergio Garcia +4050
Xander Schauffele +4125
Tony Finau +4125
Ian Poulter +4350
Louis Oosthuizen +4575
Matt Kuchar +5000
Hideki Matsuyama +5050
Patrick Reed +5625
Marc Leishman +6500
Patrick Cantlay +6500
Jordan Spieth +6875
Rafa Cabrera Bello +7000
Gary Woodland +7000
Webb Simpson +7050
Cameron Smith +7425
Kevin Kisner +7475
Matthew Fitzpatrick +7875
Henrik Stenson +8000
Phil Mickelson +8000
Tyrrell Hatton +8875
Charles Howell III +8875
Matt Wallace +9000
Alex Noren +9000
Brandt Snedeker +9250
Keegan Bradley +9500
Eddie Pepperell +9550
Keith Mitchell +9550
Billy Horschel +10000
Jim Furyk +10000
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +10000
Haotong Li +10550
Byeong Hun An +11500
Si Woo Kim +11500
Branden Grace +11500
Luke List +11500
Abraham Ancer +11500
Shane Lowry +11750
Thorbjorn Olesen +12050
Lee Westwood +12050
Emiliano Grillo +12500
Lucas Bjerregaard +12500
Russell Knox +12500
Justin Harding +12500
Kevin Na +13050
Tom Lewis +13250
J.B. Holmes +13500
Aaron Wise +13500
Kyle Stanley +13500
Chez Reavie +13500
Andrew Putnam +14500
Satoshi Kodaira +14500
Odds Analysis
Rory McIlroy +775
Taking last week off to relish his victory at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy is set to go back at it and he’s loaded with confidence. McIlroy won this event when it was played at Harding Park in California back in 2015 and he grabbed a runner-up finish at Dove Mountain in Arizona in 2012. He also reached the semifinals when Austin CC hosted the event for the first time in 2016. And we all know how comfortable McIlroy is in the match play format. He hasn’t made it past the group stage in his last two starts, but his form is too good to look over.
Xander Schauffele +4125
The X-man comes in a run of good form with 15th or better in five of his last seven starts, and that includes victories at the Sentry TOC and WGC-HSBC Champions. One area Schauffele is proficient is ball-striking, and that will serve him well at this layout. He ranks among the top 15 in scoring this season and his 4.4 birdies per round is among the best. That will also allow him to climb the leaderboard very quickly while not falling behind during the round-robin portion of the event.
Ian Poulter +4350
Some golfers are built better for match play than stroke play, and Poulter is one of them. He’s built a strong match play reputation with his outstanding performances in the Ryder Cup and at this event. Poulter won this tournament in 2010 when it was contested at Dove Mountain and he made the semis on two other occasions. His first start at Austin CC saw him go 3 for 3 in the group stage before being knocked out in the quarterfinal round. Recent form is solid as well with four worldwide top-10s this year.
Bubba Watson +3050
For a guy who doesn’t like the match play format and votes every year to cancel match play events, Watson has done exceptionally well. Watson beat Kevin Kisner 7 & 6 in last year’s championship round, and he’s reached the quarterfinals five times and the final four twice. When he starts liking the event he’ll probably do worse. But he hasn’t changed his stand on the match play style yet, so he has to be considered among the favorites.
Course: Austin Country Club – 7,128 yards, Par 71
It’s as if the field will be playing two different courses seeing how the layout is divided. The front nine plays on higher ground with a typical Texas setting, while the back nine “lowlands” runs alongside Lake Austin. Different elements at different parts of the course force players to think about their shots and manage the course. The front nine has issues with crosswinds and the back nine plays a lot of into and downwind shots. The wind definitely has an effect on how players attack the course. We’ve seen big hitters win here in the past, suggesting some players can overpower the track. But given the elements, strategy and the ability to play the wind are equally important.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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