The WGC Match Play is always an event I look forward to for a number of reasons.
It features the best players in the world, it breaks the relentless monotony of 72-hole stroke play and it is completely unpredictable.
Despite a slight format change this year, unfortunately the tournament does lose a bit of momentum as it reaches a climax but it always throws up plenty of drama and excitement along the way.
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Attempting to pick a winner is very difficult and every match can go either way. That is the beauty of match play.
Sometimes a player can play brilliantly and lose or just par his way to a comfortable victory.
So when attempting to pick a winner, the only place to really look is match play form (but even that can sometimes go out of the window…)
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In the field we have the following previous winners: Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson.
Former finalists in the field include: Victor Dubuisson, Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy.
Note that all these players have either Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup pedigree.
I’ll challenge anyone to successfully pick out a winner in each of the first round matches" Others with decent Ryder Cup records include Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed.
When looking at the Volvo World Match Play we have Poulter, McDowell, Westwood and Casey as former champions but last year’s winner, Mikko Ilonen upset the odds beating Stenson 3&1 in the final.
If your a gambling man, my advice would be to hedge your bets. I’ll challenge anyone to successfully pick out a winner in each of the first round matches as I guarantee there will be at least a couple of upsets.
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THE GROUPS AND DRAW IN FULL
Group 1: Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner
Group 2: Jordan Spieth, Lee Westwood, Matt Every, Mikko Ilonen
Group 3: Henrik Stenson, Bill Haas, Brendon Todd, John Senden
Group 4: Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen, Keegan Bradley, Miguel Angel Jimenez
Group 5: Jim Furyk, Martin Kaymer, Thongchai Jaidee, George Coetzee
Group 6: Justin Rose, Ryan Palmer, Anirban Lahiri, Marc Leishman
Group 7: Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Branden Grace, Charley Hoffman
Group 8: Dustin Johnson, Victor Dubuisson, Charl Schwartzel, Matt Jones
Group 9: Adam Scott, Chris Kirk, Paul Casey, Francesco Molinari
Group 10: Sergio Garcia, Jamie Donaldson, Bernd Wiesberger,Tommy Fleetwood
Group 11: Jimmy Walker, Ian Poulter, Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland
Group 12: JB Holmes, Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Marc Warren
Group 13: Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry, Harris English
Group 14: Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Stephen Gallacher, Ben Martin
Group 15: Patrick Reed, Ryan Moore, Danny Willett, Andy Sullivan
Group 16: Hideki Matsuyama, Kevin Na, Joost Luiten, Alexander Levy
ROUND 1
Round 1, Wednesday McIlroy v Dufner, Horschel v Snedeker
Round 1, Wednesday – Spieth v Ilonen, Westwood v Every
Round 1, Wednesday – Stenson v Senden, Haas v Todd
Round 1, Wednesday – Watson v Jimenez, Oosthuizen v Bradley
Round 1, Wednesday – Furyk v Coetzee, Kaymer v Jaidee
Round 1, Wednesday – Rose v Leishman, Palmer v Lahiri
Round 1, Wednesday – Day v Hoffman, Johnson v Grace
Round 1, Wednesday – Johnson v Jones, Dubuisson v Schwartzel
Round 1, Wednesday – Garcia v Fleetwood, Donaldson v Wiesberger
Round 1, Wednesday – Scott v Molinari, Kirk v Casey
Round 1, Wednesday – Walker v Woodland, Poulter v Simpson
Round 1, Wednesday – Holmes v Warren, Koepka v Henley
Round 1, Wednesday – Fowler v English, McDowell v Lowry
Round 1, Wednesday – Reed v Sullivan, Moore v Willett
Round 1, Wednesday – Matsuyama v Levy, Na v Luiten
ROUND 2
Round 2, Thursday – McIlroy v Snedeker, Horschel v Dufner
Round 2, Thursday – Spieth v Every, Westwood v Ilonen
Round 2, Thursday – Stenson v Todd, Haas v Senden
Round 2, Thursday – Watson v Bradley, Oosthuizen v Jimenez
Round 2, Thursday – Furyk v Jaidee, Kaymer v Coetzee
Round 2, Thursday – Rose v Lahiri, Palmer v Leishman
Round 2, Thursday – Day v Grace, Johnson v Hoffman
Round 2, Thursday – Johnson v Schwartzel, Dubuisson v Jones
Round 2, Thursday – Scott v Casey, Kirk v Molinari
Round 2, Thursday – Garcia v Wiesberger, Donaldson v Fleetwood
Round 2, Thursday – Walker v Simpson, Poulter v Woodland
Round 2, Thursday – Holmes v Henley, Koepka v Warren
Round 2, Thursday – Fowler v Lowry, McDowell v English
Round 2, Thursday – Kuchar v Gallacher, Mahan v Martin
Round 2, Thursday – Reed v Willett, Moore v Sullivan
Round 2, Thursday – Matsuyama v Luiten, Na v Levy
ROUND 3
Round 3, Friday – McIlroy v Horschel, Snedeker v Dufner
Round 3, Friday – Spieth v Westwood, Every v Ilonen
Round 3, Friday – Stenson v Haas, Todd v Senden
Round 3, Friday – Watson v Oosthuizen, Bradley v Jimenez
Round 3, Friday – Furyk v Kaymer, Jaidee v Coetzee
Round 3, Friday – Rose v Palmer, Lahiri v Leishman
Round 3, Friday – Day v Johnson, Grace v Hoffman
Round 3, Friday – Johnson v Dubuisson, Schwartzel v Jones
Round 3, Friday – Scott v Kirk, Casey v Molinari
Round 3, Friday – Garcia v Donaldson, Wiesberger v Fleetwood
Round 3, Friday – Walker v Poulter, Simpson v Woodland
Round 3, Friday – Holmes v Koepka, Henley v Warren
Round 3, Friday – Fowler v McDowell, Lowry v English
Round 3, Friday – Kuchar v Mahan, Gallacher v Martin
Round 3, Friday – Reed v Moore, Willett v Sullivan
Round 3, Friday – Matsuyama v Na, Luiten v Levy
Round of 16, Saturday morning:
Winner Group 1 v Winner Group 16
Winner Group 2 v Winner Group 15
Winner Group 3 v Winner Group 14
Winner Group 4 v Winner Group 13
Winner Group 5 v Winner Group 12
Winner Group 6 v Winner Group 11
Winner Group 7 v Winner Group 10
Winner Group 8 v Winner Group 9
Quarter-finals, Saturday afternoon
Semi-finals, Sunday morning
Consolation match, Sunday afternoon
Championship match, Sunday afternoon
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