PGA Tour Brunch WGC Match Play

@PGATourBrunch Covers the WGC and Previews Corales Puntacana Champ

Mar 25, 2021

World Golf Championship Dell Technologies Match Play

The 64-player WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play field is divided into 16 four-player groups. Each group will play roundrobin matches within their group on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Players receive one point for a victory, ½ point for a tie and zero points for a loss.

The player with the best record in each of the four-player groups advances to the Round of 16 for single-elimination match play. In the event two players are tied in points following the completion of group play, those players will have a suddendeath hole-by-hole-playoff starting on No. 1. If three or more players are involved, it will be a stroke-play hole-by-hole playoff.

The Round of 16 will be played Saturday morning, followed by the Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon. The Semifinals will be Sunday morning, followed by the Championship Match and Consolation Match (third place) on Sunday afternoon.

The top seed for each of the 16 four-player groups are the top 16 players in order of their position in the Official World Golf Ranking. The remaining three players in each group were determined by a blind draw from each of the three pools depending on their standing in the world rankings.

WGC Opening Round Notes:

On Wednesday, the top-16 group seeds went 6-6-4 in the first round. The top-seeded player to lose was Justin Thomas (No. 2) while Dylan Frittelli, seeded (No. 64), won his opening match.

Of the 22 players making their first appearance at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, 13 went on to claim at least a ½ point in their opening match. Geoff Ogilvy (2006) was the last player to win the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in his first event.

In his bid for a seventh World Golf Championships title, reigning FedExCup champion and No. 1 seed Dustin Johnson defeated Adam Long, 2-up while defending champion Kevin Kisner defeated Louis Oosthuizen, 2 and 1.

2010 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play winner Ian Poulter won five consecutive holes (Nos. 9-13) to defeat Rory McIlroy, 6 and 5, in his 30th match in 15 starts of the match play event. Wednesday’s round also marked the fourth occasion in 12 starts that McIlroy, the 2015 champion, has lost an opening match (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021). McIlroy’s biggest loss in any match was 8 and 7 to Ben Crane in round two of 2011.

Match Play Recaps:

All of Wednesday’s opening round matches recapped: (link)

Tournament Site: (link)

THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: World Golf Championship

COURSE: Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedEXCup @DellMatchPlay

TV COVERAGE: Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26: 2:00pm to 8:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 - Early coverage on Golf Channel from 10:00am to 2:00pm and the switch to NBC for 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Saturday and 3:00pm to 7:00pm EDT on Sunday.

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will offer streaming coverage of Featured Groups on Thursday and Friday from 10:15am to 8:00pm (EDT); Saturday from (8:30am-2:00pm (EDT) only.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Thursday - Friday - 2:00pm to 8:00pm (EDT); then Saturday, March 27 from 10:00am to 6:00pm EDT and Sunday, March 28: (11:00am to 7:00pm (EDT)) on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

What They’re Saying About WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

DJ wins, DeChambeau Loses in Opening Round (ESPN/Associated Press)

McIlroy Suffers Worst Match Play Loss Since 2011 (ESPN)

Things You Might Have Missed (PGATourCom)

Christiaan Bezuidenhout Accident as Child Doesn’t Stop Dream (ESPN)

And … Drain-o

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

Drain-o. @patrick_cantlay with incredible touch. #QuickHits

Tee Times for Thursday

Match Play begins at 10:30am EDT/9:30am (Local) and tee times continue until 4:11pm EDT/3:11pm (Local)

All Tee Times and Match-ups: (link)

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is the first PGA Tour event to be held in the Dominican Republic and it is now in its fourth year, with Brice Garnett claiming victory in its inaugural year of 2018, Graeme McDowell in 2019 and Hudson Swafford winning in 2020. Prior to 2018, the tournament had a two-year stint on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule where the winners were Dominic Bozzelli and Nate Lashley.

The 2020 champ, Hudson Swafford, shot 31 on the front nine of the final round and held a four-stroke lead with six holes to play, eventually winning by one stroke. He played 72 holes without a three-putt and is the only player in tournament history to post all four rounds in the 60s.

Swafford enters the week with five consecutive missed cuts.

This week Charley Hoffman seeks his 300th made cut in 423rd career PGA Tour starts and is a four-time PGA Tour winner, today making his second appearance at Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He finished (T-14) in 2020.

Tyler McCumber finished a career-best solo second at the 2020 Corales Champ event.

Brandon Hagy, who made the largest jump in the FedExCup (No. 178 to No. 77; 101 spots) following a career-best runner-up at last week’s Honda Classic. Hagy, who posted a career-low 8-under 62 in the second round, will make his second start in the event (MC/2020).

The field includes some golf luminaries, including World Golf Hall of Fame members: Retief Goosen, Davis Love III

Five major champions: Retief Goosen (2001 & 2004 U.S. Open), Padraig Harrington(2007 & 2008 The Open Championship, 2008 PGA Championship), Davis Love III (1997 PGA Championship), Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters Championship), Danny Willett (2016 Masters Tournament).

THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Champ

COURSE: Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

ARCHITECT: Tom Fazio

YARDS/PAR: 7,670 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $3,000,000/$540,000

DEFENDING Champion: Hudson Swafford - (Leaderboard link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS of Event: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner Share: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedEXCup #CoralesChampionship @CoralesChamp

TV COVERAGE: Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26: 10:00am to 1:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. Saturday, March 27 10:00am to 5:00pm EDT on Golf Channel. and Sunday, March 28 - 2:30pm to 5:30pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. (WGC on NBC during those times).

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will stream WGC.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Will cover WGC.

TEE TIMES: (link)

WEATHER: A few isolated showers with temperatures 71-84 degrees. Winds E-to-NE at 8-15 mph. Similar forecast for Friday-to-Sunday with winds 11-22 mph. 20% chance of rain.

What They’re Saying About Corales Championship

Tournament Site (PGATourCom)

Corales Puntacana Shines for Event (PGATourCom)

Tee Times (link)

Horses for the Course in the DR (PGATourCom)

On This Day in Golf History:

March 25, 2001 - Despite a bogey finish, Tiger Woods won the PLAYERS Championship by one stroke over Vijay Singh. Woods finished with a final round (67) in the Monday conclusion of the rain-delayed tournament. The victory was the first of two PLAYERS Championships for Woods, the other came in 2013. Woods also had a 1994 U.S. Amateur Championship at TPC Sawgrass. (Courtesy of Randy Walker), Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE

Parting Putt

Jordan Spieth put a little too much “oomph” into it?