The WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship remains the only match-play tournament on the PGA Tour schedule. The top-ranked 64 players in the World will head to Austin, Texas, and be split into 16 groups of four for a round-robin style tournament across Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
One player will emerge from each group and advance to the knockout stage, as the round of 16 and quarter-finals will be held on Saturday, and the semi-finals and finals match will be held on Sunday.
Fresh off a win at the Players Championship, Scottie Scheffler will return to defend his title. He will be joined by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele.
A change of pace on the PGA Tour is always welcome, and this format continues to deliver an exciting finish year after year.
Before we get into our picks for the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship selections this week.
WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Course Preview
Austin Country Club
Austin Country Club was designed in 1984 by legendary golf course architect Pete Dye. The iconic Dye design fits the mold of much of his previous work. Playing as a par 71 and tipping out to just 7,108 yards, it is far from over-imposing in length and is defined by its strategic and positional nature.
In preparation for the 2016 event, the golf course underwent a massive renovation. The greens were re-laid with a Poa Trivialis over-seed that we have grown accustomed to over the last couple of weeks at TPC Sawgrass and Innisbrook.
Austin Country Club is an excellent match-play course with several risk/reward holes, a healthy mix of reachable par fours and fives, and challenging par threes. The name of the game in any match-play format is generating birdie opportunities, and I will be primarily looking for players that rate out highly in opportunities gained and birdies or better gained. I will also look at how players have performed on other shorter Pete Dye courses, such as TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town, TPC River Highlands, and the Stadium Course at PGA West.
It should not come as a surprise that there is a strong correlation between leaderboards at other Pete Dye courses and those who have found success at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.
Austin Country Club Key Stats
- Birdies or Better Gained
- Course History/Comp Course History
- Opportunities Gained
WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship Predictions: Outright Winner
Viktor Hovland (+2200) (Get the Best Odds for This Hovland Pick at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Viktor Hovland enters the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship on the heels of a third-place finish at the Players Championship, in which he gained 1.9 strokes off the tee and 7.3 strokes on approach.
Back-to-back top-10 finishes at TPC Sawgrass prove that the young Norwegian is more than comfortable on short, positional Pete Dye courses. Hovland has also found previous success at Harbour Town, Colonial, and TPC River Highlands.
The World No. 9 is starting to get back to his peak ball-striking levels, as he has now gained over five strokes ball-striking in four straight starts and over nine strokes ball-striking in back-to-back starts. Long overdue for a breakthrough performance, this week is as primed as ever for the 25-year-old to pick up his first career victory on U.S. soil.
Viktor Hovland's odds are pretty consistent across the board, but there is $200 extra to be made, betting Hovland at any other sportsbook other than FanDuel, who rate him a +2000 shot compared to the consesus +2200. Make sure to compare the WGC Match Play odds, before taking the first price you see this week.
Collin Morikawa (+2500) (Get the Best Odds for This Collin Morikawa Pick at DraftKings Sportsbook)
This is a pure number play, as an in-form Collin Morikawa should never have a three next to his name in the outright betting market!
The World No. 11 is coming off a 13th-place finish at the Players Championship in which his irons returned to peak Morikawa levels. The 25-year-old gained 9.4 strokes on approach at TPC Sawgrass, good for his best iron week since his winning performance at the WGC Workday Championship. It’s encouraging to see that Morikawa has his greatest weapon back, and he’s already recorded three top-six finishes in six starts this year.
Yet to find the winner’s circle since his win at the Open Championship, Collin Morikawa returns to another short, positional, second shot Pete Dye course, in which his mid iron play should shine. This number is far too high to be passed up.
Once again, FanDuel Sportsbook rate Collin Morikawa higher than the market consesus, just like they have with Viktor Hovland. You can secure $500 in additional profit, betting Morikawa at DraftKings this week instead. Compare the best odds here.
