One is an annual tournament in which the objective is to get a ball into a hole to survive and advance. The other is the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. College basketball doesn’t have a monopoly on compelling competition in March. The best golfers in the world have descended on Austin Country Club for their own version of madness. The top 16 of this Power Rankings are who I’ve identified as the most likely to emerge from the three-day Group Stage launched on the only Wednesday start on the PGA TOUR. With Nos. 1-4 determined logically based on my winners of the championship and consolation matches, Nos. 5-8 are a subjective rank of the quarterfinalists. The golfers in positions 9-16 are my Group Stage survivors who are eliminated in the first round of the Knockout Stage. RELATED: The First Look | Inside the Field | Play the Bracket Challenge | Print out your bracket POWER RANKINGS: WGC-DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY POWER RANKINGS CONTINUED 17. Rory McIlroy 18. Ryan Palmer 19. Tony Finau 20. Louis Oosthuizen 21. Patrick Cantlay 22. Brendon Todd 23. Joaquin Niemann (first-timer) 24. Max Homa (first-timer) 25. Matt Fitzpatrick 26. Lee Westwood 27. Hideki Matsuyama 28. Tyrrell Hatton 29. Jason Day 30. Ian Poulter 31. Webb Simpson 32. Russell Henley 33. Viktor Hovland (first-timer) 34. Kevin Kisner 35. Lanto Griffin (first-timer) 36. Carlos Ortiz (first-timer) 37. Shane Lowry 38. Tommy Fleetwood 39. Corey Conners (first-timer) 40. Collin Morikawa (first-timer) 41. Scottie Scheffler (first-timer) 42. Erik van Rooyen (first-timer) 43. Kevin Streelman 44. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (first-timer) 45. Matt Wallace 46. Harris English 47. Marc Leishman 48. Adam Long (first-timer) 49. Kevin Na 50. Bubba Watson 51. Matt Kuchar 52. Mackenzie Hughes (first-timer) 53. Jason Kokrak (first-timer) 54. Victor Perez (first-timer) 55. Talor Gooch (first-timer) 56. Dylan Frittelli 57. J.T. Poston (first-timer) 58. Sebastián Muñoz (first-timer) 59. Matthew Wolff (first-timer) 60. Bernd Wiesberger 61. Robert MacIntyre (first-timer) 62. Si Woo Kim 63. Andy Sullivan 64. Antoine Rozner (first-timer) Just as devotees of college buckets rush to complete their brackets every year, arguably more than anything else in professional golf, the Match Play is the best way for fans to connect emotionally and still have success relative to others as seeds are merely fact more often than friction. In the first four spins of the Match Play at Austin CC, only 23 of a possible 64 top seeds in every pod survived the Group Stage format. Sixteen advanced from the grouping ranked 17-32 upon entry, 14 moved on from the golfers seeded 33-48, and 11 from the bottom 16 played on. Perhaps the best example of the competitive balance occurred in 2018 when Dustin Johnson went 0-3-0 as the defending champion and top seed of the tournament. You can play the Bracket Challenge for bragging rights and for a fantastic prize package. It’s free to play. Consider the AUTOPICK feature and select from overall seed or odds. You also can copy my bracket as yours. If you select any, you can customize as usual from there. Since it’s been two years from the last edition of the Match Play, there are 22 first-time participants in the field. Only the four-man pods headlined by Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Thomas don’t include at least one debutant. Anytime that match play is the format, a unique Power Rankings could be constructed for every round. Matchups and momentum are the primary components that establish expectations, so a full-tournament Power Rankings must be consumed with a grain of salt. What doesn’t change is the course, naturally. Austin CC is a par 71 with three par 5s. It tips at just 7,108 yards. The only relevant change is that the bunkers have new sand (as a result of a project to update drainage). TifEagle bermuda greens are overseeded and dialed to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. The only cut of rough framing overseeded bermuda fairways and other areas of the shortest grass is two inches, and it is not overseeded. The weather will be worse before it gets better. A delay due to inclement conditions on Wednesday cannot be ruled out. Showers will linger into Thursday morning before dry air takes over and hangs throughout the weekend. And of course, given its location, wind will be a through line for most of the week. Course knowledge and applied experience in it should have value as a result. After posing for pictures with the Walter Hager Cup, the champion will receive 550 FedExCup points and PGA TOUR membership through at least 2023-24. As usual, if a non-member prevails, his equivalent of FedExCup points collected in either of the WGCs completed this season will not contribute to his membership total if he accepts his card. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings (Match Play) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Corales); Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
Power Rankings: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
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Volvo China Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | +1600 |
Tom McKibbin | +1600 |
Jordan Smith | +1800 |
Bernd Wiesberger | +2000 |
Haotong Li | +2200 |
Yannik Paul | +2200 |
Zander Lombard | +2800 |
Adrian Otaegui | +3000 |
Alejandro Del Rey | +3000 |
Alexander Levy | +3000 |
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1st Round 3 Balls – F. Celli / F. Schott / T. Yang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Freddy Schott | +100 |
Filippo Celli | +150 |
Tong Yang | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Zhou / N. Paez / J. Girrbach | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joel Girrbach | -150 |
Yanhan Zhou | +220 |
Nicolas Paez | +450 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Guerrier / F. Laporta / T. Vailant | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Julien Guerrier | +145 |
Tom Vaillant | +175 |
Francesco Laporta | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – O. Strydom / R. Ramsay / J. Luiten | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joost Luiten | +125 |
Richie Ramsay | +160 |
Ockie Strydom | +275 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Haizhao / J. Morrison / C. Sordet | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
James Morrison | +105 |
Clement Sordet | +145 |
Tang Haizhao | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – E. Molinari / M. Jordan / M. Kinhult | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matthew Jordan | +130 |
Marcus Kinhult | +200 |
Edoardo Molinari | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Svensson / H. Li / M. Manassero | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Haotong Li | +145 |
Jesper Svensson | +185 |
Matteo Manassero | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Kho / T. McKibbin / Y. Paul | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom McKibbin | +120 |
Yannick Paul | +145 |
Taichi Kho | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Li / P. Larrazabal / S. Suwannarut | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Pablo Larrazabal | -110 |
Sarit Suwannarut | +170 |
Linqiang Li | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Xue / S. Tarrio / S. Jamieson | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Jamieson | +100 |
Santiago Tarrio | +145 |
Han Xue | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Cockerill / Z. Jin / M. Kieffer | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Cockerill | +115 |
Maximilian Kieffer | +125 |
Zihao Jin | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Elvira / C. Jarvis / X. Luo | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Manuel Elvira | +105 |
Casey Jarvis | +130 |
Xuewen Luo | +475 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Gouveia / A. Pavan / OM Prakash Chouhan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrea Pavan | +135 |
Ricardo Gouveia | +145 |
Om Prakash Chouhan | +280 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Hillier / J. Wang / D. Bradbury | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Hillier | +135 |
Dan Bradbury | +140 |
Jeunghun Wang | +300 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Kodaira / S. Gallacher / N. Colsaerts | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Satoshi Kodaira | +120 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | +180 |
Stephen Gallacher | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Qiu / H. Wenyi / Z. Fang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Zeqian Fang | +145 |
Huang Wenyi | +160 |
Yongqi Qiu | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Wiesberger / L. De Jager / B. Zhengkai | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Bernd Wiesberger | -120 |
Louis De Jager | +170 |
Bai Zhengkai | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Kawamura / U. Coussaud / J. Veerman | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Johannes Veerman | +160 |
Masahiro Kawamura | +180 |
Ugo Coussaud | +185 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Jian / Y. Chen / K.P. Lin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
K.P Lin | +140 |
Chuan-Lin Jian | +180 |
Yilong Cheng | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Xiao / N. Elvira / S. Bairstow | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Bairstow | +100 |
Nacho Elvira | +135 |
Bowen Xiao | +475 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Cheng / D. Fittelli / A. Sullivan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andy Sullivan | -120 |
Dylan Frittelli | +170 |
Jin Cheng | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Long / M. Armitage / J. Zhang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Marcus Armitage | -120 |
Hurly Long | +175 |
Jinshen Zhang | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Soderberg / A. Wu / Z. Lombard | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | +115 |
Zander Lombard | +180 |
Ashun Wu | +260 |
1st Round 3 Balls – W. Ye / D. Van Driel / A. Levy | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alexander Levy | -110 |
Darius Van Driel | +145 |
Wo-Cheng Ye | +500 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L.J. Go / A. Rozner / G. Chen | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Antoine Rozner | -135 |
Guxin Chen | +250 |
Lloyd Jefferson Go | +300 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Ma / G. Worrall / J. Daxin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jin Daxing | +145 |
Bingwen Ma | +190 |
George Worrall | +190 |
The CJ Cup | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | +1600 |
Si Woo Kim | +1800 |
Jason Day | +2000 |
Adam Scott | +2500 |
Alex Noren | +2500 |
Byeong Hun An | +2500 |
Min Woo Lee | +2500 |
Tom Hoge | +2500 |
Tom Kim | +2500 |
Stephan Jaeger | +2800 |
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Tournament Match-Up – B. An vs K. Mitchell | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Byeong Hun An | -130 |
Keith Mitchell | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Day vs J. Spieth | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -120 |
Jason Day | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – S. Jaeger vs T. Hoge | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Stephan Jaeger | -120 |
Tom Hoge | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Rai vs M. Hubbard | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Rai | -115 |
Mark Hubbard | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – M. Lee vs S. Im | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Min Woo Lee | -115 |
Sungjae Im | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Detry vs T. Kim | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Tom Kim | -130 |
Thomas Detry | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – K. Lee vs M. McNealy | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | -130 |
K H Lee | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Scott vs A. Noren | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Noren | -125 |
Adam Scott | -105 |
Singapore | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | +600 |
Joaquin Niemann | +800 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +1400 |
Cameron Smith | +1400 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +1400 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +1600 |
Talor Gooch | +1600 |
Dean Burmester | +1800 |
Abraham Ancer | +2200 |
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Insperity Invitational | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | +450 |
Padraig Harrington | +600 |
Stephen Ames | +1200 |
Jerry Kelly | +1400 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1400 |
David Toms | +1600 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Alex Cejka | +2000 |
Retief Goosen | +2000 |
KJ Choi | +2200 |
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Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
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PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +5000 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +50000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
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The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |