Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas. Although the event is match play, it is not an elimination event until the weekend, as the 64 players compete in round-robin matches on Wednesday through Friday. The winners of the 16 groups advance to a single-elimination bracket with the round of 16 and quarterfinals played on Saturday, while the semifinals and final are played on Sunday. Let’s look at this event that features most of the top players in the world, the odds and predictions.
WGC Match Play Odds at BookMaker.eu
Rory McIlroy +685
Dustin Johnson +950
Jordan Spieth +1000
Jason Day +1598
Hideki Matsuyama +2350
Jon Rahm +2742
Sergio Garcia +3000
Justin Thomas +2800
Tyrrell Hatton +3000
Paul Casey +3150
Patrick Reed +3750
Thomas Pieters +4000
Brandt Snedeker +4500
Louis Oosthuizen +4500
Tommy Fleetwood +4700
Phil Mickelson +5000
Francesco Molinari +5000
Rafa Cabrera Bello +5000
Matt Kuchar +5250
Marc Leishman +5500
Kevin Kisner +6000
Daniel Berger +6000
Emiliano Grillo +6000
Charl Schwartzel +6050
Ryan Moore +6050
Gary Woodland +6050
Matthew Fitzpatrick +6500
Brooks Koepka +6500
Alex Noren +6500
Bill Haas +6500
Jimmy Walker +6500
Martin Kaymer +7000
J.B. Holmes +7500
Byeong Hun An +7500
Branden Grace +8000
Zach Johnson +8000
Shane Lowry +8000
Danny Willett +8000
Bubba Watson +9000
Pat Perez +9000
Brendan Steele +10000
Jhonattan Vegas +10000
Russell Knox +10500
Charles Howell III +10500
Jason Dufner +10500
Andy Sullivan +10500
Lee Westwood +11000
Bernd Wiesberger +11000
Ross Fisher +11000
Chris Wood +12000
Jeunghun Wang +14000
Kevin Na +15000
Scott Piercy +15000
William McGirt +17500
Webb Simpson +18000
Kevin Chappell +18000
Jim Furyk +18500
Joost Luiten +18500
Soren Kjeldsen +18500
Thongchai Jaidee +20000
Si Woo Kim +20000
Hideto Tanihara +25000
K T Kim +25000
Yuta Ikeda +25000
Odds Analysis
Rory McIlroy +685
Taking the favorite is not always the way to go but how can you argue with McIlroy? He has what looks to be an easy group, as he goes against Grillo, Woodland and Kjeldsen. Rory also has done well in this event, as he beat Woodland for the title two years ago and last year lost in the semifinals.
Paul Casey +3150
There is a lot of value on Casey this week, as he has what looks to be a favorable draw, as he takes on Schwartzel, Hun An and Luiten in group play. Casey finished second in this event in 2009 and in 2010.
Alex Noren +6500
My longshot this week is Noren, who has a very favorable draw, as he gets Molinari, Wiesberger and Jaidee in group play. Noren made the final of the Paul Lawrie Match Play event last year, so he does have experience.
Format: The action starts on Wednesday with group play and continues Thursday and Friday, with 16 groups of four players playing round-robin matches. The top 16 players in the field in the World Golf Rankings are seeded at the top of each group and the remaining 48 players are put into the groups. Each group play match is 18 holes and there is no overtime unless there is a tie for first place in the group. The winners of each group advance to the round of 16 on Saturday. The quarterfinals also take place on Saturday; while the semifinals, final and consolation match take place on Sunday. Four golfers in the Top 15 in the world are not in the field, No. 5 Henrik Stenson, No. 8 Adam Scott, No. 9 Rickie Fowler and No. 13 Justin Rose.
The Course: Austin Country Club, Austin TX. This is a par 71 that measure 7,108 yards. It is a Pete Dye designed course that overlooks Lake Austin. It has hosted the Match Play event once previously. The front nine features more Texas hill country, while the back nine runs alongside the lake.
TV Coverage: Wednesday Thursday and Friday - Golf Channel, Saturday and Sunday – NBC and Golf Channel.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu . The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is scheduled for March 22-26, 2017. Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas will host the event and NBC and Golf Channel will televise it.
