Sense of Urgency Remains on Opening Day of Match Play
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2019-03-27
By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The 64 players at the Dell Technologies Match Play are guaranteed at least three matches.
That doesn’t take away the sense of urgency to win the opening match Wednesday at Austin Country Club.
This is the fifth year of group play.
One player from each of the 16 groups advances to the knockout stages on the weekend.
But only eight players have ever lost an opening match and won their group, which makes the first session more imperative than it might seem.
Tiger Woods has never played this format.
He won his three Match Play titles when it was single elimination from the start. Woods, who last played this World Golf Championship in 2013, faces Aaron Wise in the afternoon.
In other matches, Phil Mickelson plays Henrik Stenson.