The European Tour has a new team match-play format, called GolfSixes, which they'll use for the first time in May at the Centurion Club in St. Albans. The eponymous event will feature a €1 million purse and pit two-man teams from 16 countries against each other in the GolfSixes format.
The 16 countries were decided by the top-ranked (and available to play) player from the first 16 countries on the Official World Golf Ranking. That top-ranked player will then get to pick their partner -- provided they're also a European Tour member -- to complete the team.
Once the tournament starts, the 16 teams would be separated into four groups, similar to pool play in soccer. They'd engaged in a round-robin format of six-hole matches using a modified alternate shot format, where both players hit drives, pick the best one and play alternate shot through to the end of the hole. The team that wins a hole wins a point, and there are no carry-overs for tied holes. The team with the most points at the end of six holes wins.
Group play will be done on the first day on Saturday, May 6. In the group stage, the winning team in each match earns 3 points, with the losing team getting 0 points. In the event of a draw, the teams each earn 1 point. At the end of group play, the top two teams emerge to knockout play, playing down from a bracket of eight in the same format to determine a champion.
In the knockout stage, teams continue to play point-based six-hole matches, with play continuing beyond six holes, if necessary, to break a tie.
