Sports
A refreshing switch by elite stars to head-to-head competition is likely to whet the appetites of hundreds of thousands of golfers as they prepare to return to recreational play.
For the world’s best, such as Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, it is a break from the norm this week with the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay at Austin Country Club in Texas.
Humble hackers in England and Northern Ireland, meanwhile, are ready to join the scramble for tee times as lockdown starts to be eased.
And what better way to inspire a springtime return to the game than following the progress of leading competitors playing the format most prevalent among club amateurs?
Rather than the grind of 72-hole stroke play, the standard fare on the leading professional tours, from Wednesday it is a series of 18-hole sprints, mano-a-mano, with many leading UK entrants, McIlroy included, looking to ignite their golfing years.
This week the champion does not need to beat every other player in the field. Instead, it is about winning one match at a time, with scope to progress despite a defeat in the group stage.
Removed is the cut-throat drama of the tournament’s previous incarnation, when it was a straight knockout and losing meant a trip straight to the airport departure lounge.
Instead the 64-player field has been split into 16 groups, guaranteeing each competitor a minimum of three round-robin matches. The leading finisher in each section progresses to knockout stages played over the weekend.
And there is a plethora of enticing contests. Look no further than the all-European Group 8 where Tyrrell Hatton is top seed in a section that also includes Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Matt Wallace.
McIlroy, champion in 2015, takes on another former winner, Ian Poulter, in the tournament’s opening match with Cameron Smith and Lanto Griffin making up the rest of the group.
McIlroy needs to start playing golf rather than being bogged down with swing technique if he is to get back on track. Matchplay might prove the catalyst to concentrate his mind in that regard.
Taking on “The Postman” who delivered England’s first win in the tournament in 2010 is never an easy prospect in this format but Poulter is also under pressure, having slid down to 66th in the world rankings after missed cuts in his last two events.
He is only in the field because of injuries to the likes of Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods as well as the Covid absence of Gary Woodland and Adam Scott’s decision to give the Texas trip a miss.
Poulter is renowned for making the most of his opportunities and here is a chance to reinvigorate his Ryder Cup qualifying campaign in the format that best suits his aggressive instincts.
For Scottish debutant Robert MacIntyre there is the daunting but potentially inspiring prospect of taking on Masters champion and world number one Johnson while Andy Sullivan faces tough group matches against Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and two-times champion Jason Day.
Tommy Fleetwood has two top 10s this year but has yet to find his best form. The Englishman is likely to need to be near the top of his game in a group that includes the big-hitting DeChambeau.
Defending champion Kevin Kisner shares the same section as recent Players champion Thomas, while the pick of the opening round of matches may prove to be Matt Fitzpatrick’s showdown with Jordan Spieth.
Both are among the best players yet to post a win in 2021 and will be looking to build on gathering momentum.
Texan Spieth enjoys home advantage on a spectacular 7,108 yard par-71 layout that sits alongside Lake Austin. Limited galleries will be attendance to see a field that includes 22 debutants.
Among them, remarkably, is the fourth seed Collin Morikawa. The 24-year-old, who won last year’s US PGA Championship, illustrates a growing sense of change at the top of the game.
But despite this generational shift, the attraction of matchplay remains unaltered.
And while the world’s best scrap it out for the spoils totalling $10.5m (£7.5m) they can also inspire us as we ready ourselves to compete again – albeit probably for a pound on the front nine, a pound on the back and one on the match.
BBC Sport
– Mar. 23, 2021 @ 08:40 GMT
Tags: Bryson DeChambeau Lee Westwood in action in Texas Rory McIlroy
