Match Play in Texas, LPGA preps for major

By Doug Ferguson AUSTIN, TEXAS » Put together the top 64 players available from the world ranking, have them play 112 matches over five days, and anything can happen.

That’s the beauty of the Dell Technologies Match Play. The event began Wednesday with final matches not being completed by press time.

Last year, Jason Day seemed to cruise at Austin Country Club, winning all seven of his matches — only his semifinal match against Rory McIlroy went to the 18th hole. Easy as he made it look, Day tweaked his back in the opening match and nearly didn’t show up the next day. Of course, he drove the first green, and off he went.

McIlroy won all seven of his matches the previous year, only he twice had to go to extra holes.

All that matters is winning, and sometimes even that doesn’t matter.

Byeong Hun An and Patton Kizzire last year won only one match in the roundrobin play, halved two others, and still advanced out of their group. It can get complicated, though Sergio Garcia brought some simplicity to the most fickle of formats.

“You have to be very calm and just be a little bit better than your opponent,” Garcia said.

The Match Play is the featured attraction this week, mainly because golf doesn’t get very much match play except for the Dell Match Play, the Paul Lawrie Match Play on the European Tour and the Lorena Ochoa Match Play on the LPGA Tour, plus the Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup this year.

The LPGA Tour is at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California, a strong field that will be warming up for the first major of the year at next week’s ANA Inspiration in the California desert. And while the top PGA Tour players are in Austin, the rest are at the Puerto Rico Open.

Also back in action this week is the Web.com Tour in Louisiana.

Two tournaments will be without defending champions. Tony Finau won in Puerto Rico last year, but he’s the first alternate in Match Play and is taking his chances by waiting around in Texas. Wesley Bryan won in Louisiana last year, and now he’s in Puerto Rico trying to win to get into the top 50 and receive a Masters invitation. 2-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (NBC).