The 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play format is unique in golf because it's not only the rare match-play event in professional golf, but it's an individual match-play event with a round-robin group component designed to help preserve the best players in the tournament from being eliminated in a potential fluke loss in the first three days of the event.
2023 WGC Dell Technologies Match Play: Format and Brackets | Field | Rankings | Betting Odds and First Looks | One and Done | Past Results | Cheat Sheet | PGA Tour Event History | Recent Form | Finish Database | Discord
2023 Corales Puntacana Championship: Field | Rankings | Betting Odds and First Looks | One and Done | Past Results | Cheat Sheet
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play format
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play format changed in 2016, going from a 64-player, single-elimination, bracket-style tournament to a 64-player event beginning with 16 groups of round-robin play leading to 16 group winners who advance into a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament to determine a winner.
For the first three days of the tournament, Wednesday through Friday, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is concerned with matches inside 16 groups, each anchored by one of the top 16 highest-seeded players in the event based on this week's Official World Golf Ranking. From there, players are selected at random from three subsequent groups of the next 16 highest-ranked players to fill out groups. In these 16 groups of four, round-robin play continues for the first three days, with each player getting an 18-hole match against each player in their group.
In these 18-hole matches, three outcomes are possible: win, loss or 18-hole tie. If a player wins a match, they get a point. If they lose the match, they don't get a point. If they tie or halve the match, they and their opponent each get a half-point. In the final day of round-robin play on Friday, matches which determine the group winner. If players are tied for the lead in a group after round robin play, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tiebreaker is a sudden-death playoff begins on the first hole as soon as possible.
The winners of each group then advance into a single-elimination, bracket-style competition on Saturday with 18-hole matches:
- Group 1 winner vs. Group 16 winner
- Group 8 winner vs. Group 9 winner
- Group 4 winner vs. Group 13 winner
- Group 5 winner vs. Group 12 winner
- Group 6 winner vs. Group 11 winner
- Group 3 winner vs. Group 14 winner
- Group 7 winner vs. Group 10 winner
- Group 2 winner vs. Group 15 winner
There must be a winner in each of these matches. From there, the bracket takes over, determining next matchups until a champion is crowned on Sunday afternoon in an 18-hole finish, and a third- and fourth-place finisher is decided by a consolation match.
All told, a winner has to compete in seven matches.
RELATED: 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play matches, tee times for Wednesday | Thursday
2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play groups
- Group 1: Scottie Scheffler (1), Tom Kim (32), Alex Noren (33), Davis Riley (64)
- Group 2: Jon Rahm (2), Billy Horschel (31), Keith Mitchell (34), Rickie Fowler (63)
- Group 3: Rory McIlroy (3), Keegan Bradley (30), Denny McCarthy (35), Scott Stallings (62)
- Group 4: Patrick Cantlay (4), Brian Harman (29), K.H. Lee (36), Nick Taylor (61)
- Group 5: Max Homa (5), Hideki Matsuyama (28), Kevin Kisner (37), Justin Suh (60)
- Group 6: Xander Schauffele (6), Tom Hoge (27), Aaron Wise (38), Cam Davis (59)
- Group 7: Will Zalatoris (7), Ryan Fox (26), Harris English (39), Andrew Putnam (58)
- Group 8: Viktor Hovland (8), Chris Kirk (25), Si Woo Kim (40), Matt Kuchar (57)
- Group 9: Collin Morikawa (9), Jason Day (24), Adam Svensson (41), Victor Perez (56)
- Group 10: Tony Finau (10), Kurt Kitayama (23), Adrian Meronk (42), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (55)
- Group 11: Matt Fitzpatrick (11), Sahith Theegala (22), Min Woo Lee (43), J.J. Spaun (54)
- Group 12: Jordan Spieth (12), Shane Lowry (21), Taylor Montgomery (44), Mackenzie Hughes (53)
- Group 13: Sam Burns (13), Seamus Power (20), Adam Scott (45), Adam Hadwin (52)
- Group 14: Tyrrell Hatton (14), Russell Henley (19), Lucas Herbert (46), Ben Griffin (51)
- Group 15: Cameron Young (15), Sepp Straka (18), Corey Conners (47), Davis Thompson (50)
- Group 16: Sungjae Im (16), Tommy Fleetwood (17), J.T. Poston (48), Maverick McNealy (49)
