WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play bracket: Groups, opening matches set for PGA Tour this week

The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play bracket has been set for the PGA Tour this week at Austin Country Club and we have your first look.

One of the most unique events on the PGA Tour has arrived just two weeks before The Masters with the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play once again descending upon Austin Country Club this week. Unfortunately, Valspar Championship winner Sam Burns has bowed out, as has Rory McIlroy. Yet, the field is still stacked for the 64-player event.

Billy Horschel, who has flirted at the top of leaderboards already on several occasions this season, is back to try and work his way through the Dell Match Play bracket as the defending champion. However, the likes of Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and many, many more are here to try and dethrone him.

So how does the bracket break down? Let’s take a look at the PGA Tour’s version of March Madness for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play bracket

We have our bracket and it looks absolutely glorious.

Looking at the 16 groups, there are some fascinating matchups in play. Group 3 with Viktor Hovland, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Tringale and Sepp Straka should be incredible to watch. The same is true with Group 5 as Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick are aces right now with Tommy Fleetwood trending up.

It doesn’t stop there as Group 13, headlined by Tyrrell Hatton and Daniel Berger, Group 11 with Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Justin Rose, and even Group 16 with Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry are all worth keeping an eye on.

All eyes, however, will be on Bryson DeChambeau in Group 9, the top seed in that group. This will be his first event since he’s been dealing with an injury and this format could be quite telling about where his health currently stands.

Dell Match Play format: How does Match Play bracket work?

Obviously, this is a format that is completely different from the familiar 72-hole stroke play. The biggest change might be the fact that play will begin on Wednesday instead of Thursday, which makes sense given the rest of the format.

Every group will play in a Round Robin format from Wednesday-Friday with each player playing every other player in their group. One point is awarded for a match win, a half-point is awarded for a tie in a match, and obviously, zero points are awarded for a loss. The player who earns the most points in the Round Robin play from each group will advance to the knockout stages. Tiebreakers will first be the head-to-head match record and, if they tied that match, a sudden-death playoff will be held to determine who advances.

Saturday and Sunday will feature the knockout stages of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play with the Sweet 16 and quarterfinals taking place on Saturday and the Final Four and final match on Sunday. If matches are tied after 18 holes, the match will continue until a winner is determined.

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