What is Match Play format in Golf? Everything to know for WGC-Dell Match Play

It’s time for the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin this week. But what is Match Play in golf? How does it compare to stroke play? What are the rules?

There is only one Match Play event on the PGA Tour (and the LPGA Tour) and it has arrived this week at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. This is a week where the playing field is leveled in a whole new way among 64 of the best players in the world as they try to make their way through the WGC-Dell Match Play bracket.

The Match Play format is far different than what we normally see on the PGA Tour with 72-hole stroke play, though. Not only does the WGC event require six wins to hoist the trophy, which could amount to 108 holes if the player has to go through 18 holes in every match, but some players who might not be stalwarts in stroke play have stellar Match Play records — and vice versa.

However, unless you are a diehard follower, a Ryder Cup enthusiast, or something else perhaps, you might have some questions about this format. Don’t worry, we’ve got all of the rules and explanations you need.

What is Match Play format in golf? Rules explained

Obviously, the first major difference between this format and regular 72-hole stroke play is that it’s one player vs. one player as opposed to one player vs. the field. That’s intuitive, but must be said.

The simple explanation for the Match Play format is that a player wins a hole against his opponent if he records a lower score on that hole. A match is decided when a player is up more holes than there are holes remaining in the 18-hole match.

Scoring in this format is denoted as 1 Up or 1 Down and so on. That denotes that a player has won (or lost) one more hole than his opponent. Final scores can vary in their denotation. When a player wins 1 Up, that means that they were 1 Up after 18 holes. Scores like 2&1 or 3&2 and so forth means that the winning player was 2 Up with 1 hole left to play, etc.

A win in a match earns a player 1 point. A loss earns a player zero points. A tie earns each player 0.5 points.

Can there be a tie in Match Play?

Yes, there can be ties in the Match Play format, both on a single hole and in the match.

For a single hole, a tie is simple. If the two players competing against one another make the same score on a hole, then the hole is considered halved. That means that neither player gains any ground on the other in their match.

In the case of the match itself, if both players have the same number of holes won at the end of the round, there will not be a playoff. The match is considered half, which earns that player 0.5 points toward their individual total at events like the WGC-Dell Match Play and for the team in events like the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup.

At the Dell Match Play, the only time there can not be a tie is in the final and third-place matches. In that case, the play will continue until there is a winner.

Tiebreakers in WGC-Dell Match Play group play

One differentiator at the Dell Match Play is the group stage format to begin the tournament with the 64 players in the field divided into pods of four and playing a round-robin style tournament. But what happens if two players end up with the same number of points and need a tiebreaker?

Rather than looking at head-to-head record or other metrics, the PGA Tour decided that the tiebreaker at the WGC-Dell Match Play would be a head-to-head playoff starting on the first hole. The first player to go up in match play during that playoff will advance out of the group.

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