WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play 2021: Schedule, Venue, Where to Watch, Top Contenders, Rankings, and More

The PGA Tour schedule has very few rest stops in between tournaments. The 2021 Masters starts on April 8, but there are three tournaments scheduled to take place before Augusta. The first one will be the highly competitive WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, which begins this Wednesday. 

When and where is WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play taking place in 2021?

The 2021 edition of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play will take place at the Austin Country Club from March 24-28. The layout is a prestigious one, and the Country Club is believed to be the oldest in Texas, considering that it was first established in 1899.

The par 71 course spans 7,108 yards and the front nine is situated on a higher ground, while the back nine is spread out alongside the beautiful Lake Austin. 

The 2021 edition of the Match Play event will mark the fifth such tournament at the Pete Dye-designed Austin Country Club. 

The tournament offers a $10.5 million purse this year and is comprised of 50 PGA Tour winners. 22 players will make their tournament debut, and there will be a representation of 17 countries in the playing field.

How to follow WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on television

Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. (Golf Channel) 

Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Saturday, 2-6 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Sunday, 3-7 p.m. (NBC)

Who is the defending champion?

Kevin Kisner is currently the defending champion at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Tournament. The tournament was canceled in 2020 owing to the pandemic, which left Kisner as the reigning champion for nearly two years. 

Kisner topped his 2018 runner-up finish by displaying nerves of steel to defeat Matt Kuchar 3 & 2 in the final. Kuchar won the tournament back in 2013 but found no luck against his compatriot a couple of years ago. 

Dustin Johnson headlines the list of participants this year

The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event always sports a star-studded field. 2021 is no different as all the top players in the world are ready to come to battle it out for a chance to earn 550 FedEx Cup points. 

Before we dive into the field, only five eligible players have opted out of participating at Austin this year. They are: Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, and Tiger Woods.

Furthermore, here is a look at the complete field of players participating in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2021: 

1 Dustin Johnson (USA)

2 Justin Thomas (USA)

3 Jon Rahm (Spain)

4 Collin Morikawa (USA)

5 Bryson DeChambeau (USA)

6 Xander Schauffele (USA)

7 Patrick Reed (USA)

8 Tyrrell Hatton (England)

9 Patrick Cantlay (USA)

10 Webb Simpson (USA)

11 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

13 Tony Finau (USA)

14 Viktor Hovland (Norway)

15 Daniel Berger (USA)

16 Matt Fitzpatrick (England)

17 Paul Casey (England)

18 Sungjae Im (South Korea)

19 Lee Westwood (England)

20 Harris English (USA)

21 Matthew Wolff (USA)

22 Tommy Fleetwood (England)

23 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)

24 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

26 Ryan Palmer (USA)

27 Cameron Smith (Australia)

28 Abraham Ancer (Mexico)

29 Joaquin Niemann (Chile)

30 Kevin Na (USA)

31 Jason Kokrak (USA)

32 Scottie Scheffler (USA)

33 Victor Perez (France)

34 Billy Horschel (USA)

35 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa)

36 Kevin Kisner (USA)

37 Max Homa (USA)

39 Marc Leishman (Australia)

40 Shane Lowry (Ireland)

41 Corey Conners (Canada)

42 Sergio Garcia (Spain)

43 Will Zalatoris (USA)

44 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)

45 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)

46 Carlos Ortiz (Mexico)

47 Jason Day (Australia)

48 Si Woo Kim (South Korea)

49 Lanto Griffin (USA)

50 Brendon Todd (USA)

52 Jordan Spieth (USA)

53 Mackenzie Hughes (Canada)

54 Matt Kuchar (USA)

55 Matt Wallace (England)

57 Bubba Watson (USA)

58 Brian Harman (USA)

59 Kevin Streelman (USA)

60 Russell Henley (USA)

61 Sebastian Munoz (Colombia)

62 Andy Sullivan (England)

63 Antoine Rozner (France)

64 Talor Gooch (USA)

65 Ian Poulter (England)

66 Erik van Rooyen (South Africa)

67 Adam Long (USA)

68 J.T. Poston (USA)

69 Dylan Frittelli (South Africa)

There will be 16 groups, each highlighted by one of the top 16 players in the world. While Kisner will look to defend his crown, Collin Morikawa is eying to become the first golfer since Dustin Johnson (2017) to win the first two World Golf Championship events of the calendar year. 

While Johnson, Justin Thomas, Morikawa, and Bryson DeChambeau are the favorites to win the Match Play event this year, it is almost impossible to make a solid prediction on who’ll walk away with the trophy this year.

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