WGC Match Play Shows Why It Has To Remain on the Golfing Calendar: Celebrating the Thrills and Upsets of Matchplay Golf

Last week’s WGC Match Play in Austin, Texas, provided plenty of surprises as two of the world’s best golfers, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, failed to make it to the final. Instead, an all-American final saw Sam Burns comfortably defeating Cameron Young by 6&5. While it would have been fitting for both Scheffler and McIlroy to make it to the final, their undercard contest provided a stirring consolation match. Despite the unexpected results, last week’s action highlighted the value of match play in golf.

Since its inception in 1999, the WGC Match Play has been an unconventional tournament. Unlike most golf tournaments, the WGC Match Play features head-to-head match-ups, where players compete against each other to win the most holes. This format makes the tournament harder to predict, and upsets are often the norm. In the inaugural final, for instance, the world number 25 Jeff Maggert beat the 51st ranked player Andrew Magee at the second extra hole. In the 24 runnings since then, only three players (Tiger Woods in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2008, Rory McIlroy in 2015, and Dustin Johnson in 2017) have won the tournament as reigning world number ones.

However, as last week’s semi-finals demonstrated, head-to-head match play in golf is much harder to predict than in other sports, such as tennis. In golf, players must contend with the unpredictable elements of the game, such as the course, the weather, and their opponents’ play. In match play, players must be more aggressive than in other golf tournaments. Losing a hole in match play is less catastrophic than a tournament-wrecking blow-up, so players take more risks. This makes for more engaging golf, as players play to win, rather than just to avoid losing.

Despite its popularity among players and fans alike, the WGC Match Play may not survive in its current form. The PGA Tour’s recent decision to create designated events in response to the threat of the lucrative LIV tour has made it harder to find room for the tournament. However, many golf experts argue that the WGC Match Play is too valuable to be abandoned.

Former top caddie and now NBC commentator John Wood tweeted: “The PGA Tour can’t abandon match play. One week a year. It’s so refreshing & fun to watch, to play, to commentate. I think the players love it, as do the fans. Maybe one of the designated events will take a look at it. It will make them stand out from the crowd. Find a way to keep it in.”

The WGC Match Play has been the site of many memorable moments over the years. McIlroy’s massive 375-yard drive to four feet on the par-four 18th to help secure a place in the knockout stages last week was a case in point. Similarly, Bob McIntyre’s similar feat against Dustin Johnson a few years ago has not been forgotten by those who saw it. The tournament has also seen its fair share of spats, such as Sergio Garcia’s falling out with Matt Kuchar in 2019 and Keegan Bradley squaring up to Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2015. While these moments may not be the most savory, they generate plenty of passionate interest among golf fans.

One of the challenges of match play is sustaining engaging TV coverage, especially in the final stages of the tournament when only a few matches remain. One possible solution is to run the tournament in conjunction with a women’s match play event. This would allow both events