The DP World Tour returns to Austin Country Club this week for the 2022 edition of the WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play. Here are your five things to know...
Horschel defends
Billy Horschel produced a gutsy, grinding performance to beat Scottie Scheffler2&1 and win his first World Golf Championships title at last year’s 2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
The American won two of his three group matches - defeating Max Homa and Collin Morikawa but falling to J.T Poston – before overcoming Kevin Streelman, Tommy Fleetwood and Victor Perez on his way to setting up a final showdown with Scheffler.
The 35-year-old went on to become a Rolex Series champion later in the year, striding to victory in the BMW PGA Championship en route to finishing just behind the 2021 Rankings winner Morikawa.
This week, Horschel defends his title and will bid to join Tiger Woods (three) and Jason Day (two) as just the third player in history to win this event on multiple occasions.
Race for World Number One
Sixty-four of the world’s top 69 players are set it to tee it up this week, including each of the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking: Jon Rahm, Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, and Scottie Scheffler.
While Rahm has occupied the top spot in the Official Golf World Rankings since July 2021, there is a strong chance a new World Number One could be crowned by the end of the week in Austin.
Current DP World Tour champion Morikawa currently sits in second place with Hovland in third, and both have a chance to displace the Spaniard and reach the top of the rankings for the first time this week.
They are not alone, either. Fellow Ryder Cup players Cantlay and Scheffler - who has two PGA TOUR wins under his belt already this year - could also achieve the feat for the first time.
The Format
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is played over five days. The 64-man field is split into 16 groups of four during the first three days , where they compete in a round-robin match play format. The winner of each group progresses to the final 16 knockout stages (ties are decided by a sudden-death play-off).
The last-16 and quarter-finals take place on Saturday, with the semi-finals and final set to take place on Sunday.
The Venue
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play has found a popular home in Austin Country Club since its arrival in 2016.
The 7,108-yard course has an exciting mix of holes, including the potentially driveable 350-yard par four 13th, as well as a pair of short par fives, the 512-yard fifth, and the closing 527-yard 18th, which is sure to provide a dramatic finish to close matches.
The Pete Dye design has two distinct nines that feature some of the Texas countryside on the front nine before heading back towards Lake Austin.
Previous venues include La Costa Resort & Spa (1999-2000, 2002- 2006), Metropolitan Golf Club (2001), The Gallery at Dove Mountain (2007-2008, 2013-2014), Ritz Carlton Golf Club (2009-2012) and TPC Harding Park (2015).
Race for Major qualification
With just a few weeks left to go until the Masters Tournament takes place at Augusta National Golf Club, several players not already qualified will be hoping to take advantage this week.
The 50 leading players on the Official World Golf Ranking, when published the week prior to the event, are set to grace the historic event in April. For those players in the field this week currently on or outside that number, a strong result at either the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters could have a big impact on their chance to play in the first Major of the year.
In this week’s field in Austin, Alex Noren (56), Richard Bland (60) and Ian Poulter (67) all currently sit outside the qualification criteria and will be hoping for a strong performance. Irishman Séamus Power, meanwhile, will be hoping to consolidate his place in top 50 (he currently lies in 48th) as he targets a long-awaited Augusta debut.
