Monday 27 April 2015 15:11, UK
The WGC-Cadillac Match Play returns to the PGA Tour calendar this week with a new venue and new format. How will the new-look event work? We answer the questions you may have...
What has changed?
Similar to the system often used in football or rugby, this year’s tournament will see the world's top 64 players split in to 16 groups of four, with each player facing one another in a round-robin format.
If there’s a two-way tie at the top of the group, the head-to-head record between the two players is taken in to account, while a three-way tie would result in a sudden-death play-off between those involved. The winner of each pool then progresses to a straight knockout last 16, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and then a final on the Sunday afternoon. Easy, huh?
How is that different?
The event has previously been played as a straight knockout, meaning half of the field would be eliminated inside the opening round.
The revised system means players are guaranteed at least three rounds to try and progress to the tournament’s latter stages, even if they lose one of their opening match-ups. It replicates the schedule that has been followed for a number of years with the European Tour’s 16-man Volvo World Match Play Championship, albeit on a much larger scale.
Sounds a bit fiddly…
The top 16 seeds will each sit in one of the 16 groups, with the rest of the players then split into pools, with one player from those seeded 17-32, one from those ranked 33-48 and one from the others involved each put in to a group.
The groups will be decided in a live draw on Monday afternoon. You'll be able to see the finalised groups on the Sky Sports Golf website as soon as the draw has been completed.
Good news?
Predominately, yes. The new format allows players to have a bad round without ending their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages, keeping the sport’s household names in the competition for longer. With fewer early high profile exits, that should also keep a higher interest in the tournament throughout the week, something that has often been an issue in previous years.
One potential drawback will be the challenge in squeezing all of the play into five days, with Sunday afternoon’s final being the seventh round in a busy five days for the two finalists.
Better keep Monday free then…
That would be the worst possible outcome for the players involved, given that the PGA Tour’s showpiece event at TPC Sawgrass would be just days away. Any extra play on Monday would leave preparations hampered for the big-money Players Championship; given the world’s elite are all heading to cross-country in time to tee-off Thursday.
Obviously there is the possibility that the WGC finalists will be from outside of the top 50 and wouldn’t even be heading to Florida, but even so, a sixth day in San Francisco is unlikely to happen as it would almost certainly cause problems.
A new venue, too?
That’s right. After eight years of being held at Arizona’s Dove Mountain, which had mixed reviews from the players, the tournament heads a few hundred miles west to TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The picturesque site on the Pacific coast has previously played host to a WGC-Cadillac Championship event as well as the President’s Cup amongst other competitions.
It won’t be returning there in 2016, with tournament officials having already confirmed that the event will be played in Texas for the next four years.
Why was the old site disliked?
The venue was often criticised by players, regularly one of the worst ranked courses by those playing on the PGA Tour. The tournament previously been held in February didn’t help, with play once delayed by snow in the desert.
In the past, some of the sport’s high-profile names have chosen to skip the event, with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott – then three of the world’s top four – all not taking part last year.
So does that mean all of the world’s top 64 will be there?
Almost. Luke Donald isn’t taking part due to the tournament clashing with his brother’s wedding, which had been arranged prior to the Match Play switching places on the PGA Tour schedule, while South Africa’s Tim Clark still hasn't recovered from injuring his elbow during January's Sony Open.
Five-time major champion Mickelson has only taken part once in the past five years and hoped to make his first appearance since 2011, but has since withdrawn due to personal reasons. Despite the trio missing out this week, there will be still far more of the world’s elite teeing-off this week than 12 months ago.
Who replaces them then?
The players directly outside of the world’s top 64 have been waiting in the wings to step up and replace those who decide not to participate. Top of the pile was Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, who slipped to world No 65 after missing the cut at the Masters earlier this month but is replacing Luke Donald this week.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Finland’s Mikko Ilonen were next in line for an more withdrawals, with the next-best in the rankings coming in to replace further dropouts.
Should we expect a big name to take the title?
While the form book would indicate new Green Jacket champion Jordan Spieth would be a top tip for Match Play success, tournament history would suggest a high profile victory is something of a novelty. Tiger Woods’ three wins aside during his spell as world No 1, no other player in the world’s top eight as won the event in 16 attempts, with three of the former winners coming from outside of the world’s top 50.
Geoff Ogilvy was the last outsider to take the title when the then world No 52 won in 2006, with Steve Stricker and Kevin Sutherland also previously achieving the feat. Who will take this year’s championship? Your guess is as good as ours…
Watch the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship from April 29-May 3 on Sky Sports 4 – your home of golf.
