The 2023 WGC Dell Match Play Championship will be the 24th and last rendition of the event. The tournament will be held at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. The field consists of the top 64 available players from the Official World Golf Ranking. This is a unique event as competition is divided into bracketed match-play and begins on Wednesday (March 22nd), and runs until Sunday (March 26th).
Course Breakdown
The fairways and greens are quite wide and large. There is a bit of trouble on the course with various water hazards, but for the most part, this course is wide open. Players that find success in match play here will be both aggressive but also consistent on the putting surfaces, as that is where players will be able to differentiate themselves.
The course does come with some difficulties, as the par 4’s are quite long and tough. Players should struggle more on holes #2 and 8, which are 470 yards and 498 yards, and have an average bogey rate of 22%. The longer par 4’s will be the holes that truly test players’ skills this week. Distance off the tee is also a distinct advantage at a course as open as Austin Country Club.
Two par 3’s also play over par on average. Hole number 7 is 201 yards, and number 11 is 194 yards. The course isn’t all easy, but players will need to navigate the course on a hole-by-hole basis and choose when to attack and when to lay off.
Some courses that play similar in many aspects to Austin Country Club are Copperhead, where the Valspar Championship was just held, and TPC Scottsdale, where the Waste Management Phoenix Open is held.
Players that finished with 3-0 records in match play format last year:
- Kevin Kisner
- Terrell Hatton
- Corey Conners
Players that finished with 2-1 records in match play format last year:
- Will Zalatoris
- Si Woo Kim
- Scottie Shefler
- John Rahm
- Seamus Power
- Alex Noran
- Matthew Fitzpatrick
- Viktor Hovland
- MacKenzie Hughes
Players that should excel well this week based on play at similar courses this season:
- Matt Kuchar
- John Rahm
- Si Woo Kim
- Billy Horschel
- Seamus Power
- Sahith Theegala
- Scottie Scheffler
- Rickie Fowler
- Jordan Spieth
- Pat Perez
- Justin Rose
All the above players gained shots on the field on the putting surfaces in those respective tournaments. The Austin Country Club course allows for players to play rather aggressively with its openness, but players won’t be rewarded unless they can sink putts.
Players will need to be scoring below par to advance. The only way to do so, however, might just be on the putting greens.
