The Dell Technologies Match Play is an annual professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played in late March at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. The 2023 Dell Technologies Match Play will take place from March 22-26. This tournament uses a match play format, rather than the traditional stroke play used in most professional golf tournaments. Players are split into 16 groups of 4 players each for round-robin group play on Wednesday-Friday. The group winners then advance to the knockout rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for the 2023 Dell Technologies Match Play have not yet been officially announced. However, based on ticket prices from previous years, we can estimate what they will likely cost this year:
Ticket Type | Estimated 2023 Price |
---|---|
Wednesday Practice Round | $25 |
Wednesday Match Play | $40 |
Thursday Match Play | $40 |
Friday Match Play | $40 |
Saturday Quarterfinals | $50 |
Sunday Semifinals | $60 |
Sunday Finals | $70 |
As you can see, prices increase as the tournament progresses and reaches the final rounds on the weekend. Practices rounds earlier in the week are the cheapest option at just $25. Tickets are most expensive on Sunday for the championship match at $70 each. Keep in mind these are just estimated prices based on recent years – the official 2023 ticket prices could end up being a bit different once announced.
Where to Buy Tickets
There are a few different options for purchasing tickets to the Dell Technologies Match Play:
– Directly through the tournament’s website – dellmatchplay.com. This is the best way to guarantee legitimate tickets directly from the official source. You can purchase them online in advance once ticket sales begin.
– Reseller sites like StubHub. Resellers often sell tickets at inflated prices, so this option tends to be more expensive. But it can provide access to sold out events.
– At the gate during the event. A limited number of tickets are sold at the Austin Country Club box office during tournament week. But these often sell out for the final rounds, so advance purchase is recommended if possible.
I recommend purchasing tickets directly through the tournament website once they go on sale if you want the best deal and inventory. Be ready to buy as soon as sales open, as popular days like the Finals often sell out very quickly each year. Sign up for email notifications on the Dell Match Play website to be alerted as soon as tickets go on sale.
About the Dell Technologies Match Play
The Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most unique events on the PGA Tour schedule. Here are some key facts about this tournament:
- Founded in 1999, it is a relatively new event on the PGA Tour.
- The tournament has been held at the Austin Country Club in Texas since 2016.
- It features a match play format rather than the traditional stroke play seen at most golf tournaments.
- Sixty-four of the top golfers in the world compete in head-to-head matches.
- The field is divided into 16 groups of four players for round-robin play Wednesday-Friday.
- The group winners advance to single elimination rounds Saturday and Sunday.
- The winner receives 550 FedExCup points and a prize of $1.7 million.
Some big name winners over the years include Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day. The defending champion is Scottie Scheffler, who is currently ranked #1 in the world.
The Dell Match Play is known for producing some exciting mano y mano golf with the match play format. Players have to strategize and play each hole as its own separate matchup. This often brings out aggressive and creative shotmaking you don’t see as much in regular stroke play events.
The round-robin group stage also provides plenty of drama as players battle to try and finish in the top 2 in their group to advance. And once in the knockout rounds, it’s instant elimination if you lose your match.
Match Play Format
Here is a more in-depth explanation of the unique match play format used at the Dell Technologies Match Play:
– 64 players are divided into 16 groups of 4 players each.
– Groupings are determined based on world ranking, so the top 16 players are the top seeds in each group.
– Players within each group compete in round-robin play Wednesday-Friday. There are six round-robin matches between the 4 players in each group over these three days.
– Players earn one point for a win and half a point for a tie in round-robin play. The player with the most points in each group after Friday advances to the knockout rounds.
– If two players are tied with the most points, head-to-head match results are used as the tiebreaker.
– The Round of 16 and Quarterfinals are played on Saturday. The Semifinals and Championship match take place on Sunday.
– These knockout matches are sudden death – the winner of each match advances and the loser is eliminated.
– If a knockout match ends tied after 18 holes, extra holes are played until there is a winner.
So in summary, players must win their group by earning the most points in round-robin play Wednesday-Friday to advance. Then it’s straight knockout matches over the weekend where you have to win each day to take home the championship trophy and prize money.
Past Dell Match Play Winners
Here is a look back at previous winners of the Dell Technologies Match Play since the tournament began in 1999:
Year | Winner | Runner Up |
---|---|---|
2022 | Scottie Scheffler | Kevin Kisner |
2021 | Billy Horschel | Scottie Scheffler |
2020 | Cancelled – COVID-19 | – |
2019 | Kevin Kisner | Matt Kuchar |
2018 | Bubba Watson | Kevin Kisner |
2017 | Dustin Johnson | Jon Rahm |
2016 | Jason Day | Louis Oosthuizen |
2015 | Rory McIlroy | Gary Woodland |
2014 | Jason Day | Victor Dubuisson |
2013 | Matt Kuchar | Hunter Mahan |
2012 | Hunter Mahan | Rory McIlroy |
2011 | Luke Donald | Martin Kaymer |
2010 | Ian Poulter | Paul Casey |
2009 | Geoff Ogilvy | Paul Casey |
2008 | Tiger Woods | Stewart Cink |
2007 | Henrik Stenson | Geoff Ogilvy |
2006 | David Toms | Stephen Ames |
2005 | Tiger Woods | John Daly |
2004 | Tiger Woods | Davis Love III |
2003 | Tiger Woods | David Toms |
2002 | Kevin Sutherland | Scott McCarron |
2001 | Steve Stricker | Pierre Fulke |
2000 | Darren Clarke | Tiger Woods |
1999 | Jeff Maggert | Andrew Magee |
As we can see, Tiger Woods dominated the early years of this event, winning it 4 times between 2003-2008. Other notable winners include major championship winners like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, and Bubba Watson in recent years. And 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler is the current world #1.
The Dell Match Play boasts an impressive list of past champions. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top in the unique match play format this March at the 2023 event.
About the Austin Country Club
The Dell Technologies Match Play has been held at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas since 2016. Here are some key details about the tournament’s host course:
- Designed by renowned golf course architect Pete Dye
- Opened for play in 1984 after Dye completely redesigned the original golf course
- Par 71 layout plays at 7,108 yards from the back tees
- Hosted the PGA Tour’s former Kemper Open from 1989-1995
- Known for having large, undulating greens and hazardous water features
- Also hosted the 2016 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships
The Austin Country Club is considered one of the best private golf courses in Texas. Pete Dye utilized the natural rolling terrain framed by mature live oaks to craft a challenging yet fair test for the professionals each year.
His design features several risk-reward options, tempting longer hitters to try and carry creek hazards and ponds lining the fairways. But misjudging distance can result in finding the water and losing holes in the match play format.
The greens are also known to be very challenging, with lots of slopes and careful contouring built in. This demands precision iron shots to set up putts close to the hole. Players who struggle with their approach shots and short game can quickly find themselves trailing in matches at ACC.
The blend of natural beauty and Dye’s strategic design genius makes the Austin Country Club an ideal venue to host the dynamic Dell Match Play each year. The course consistently produces dramatic matches and exciting shotmaking – exactly what you hope for in a match play event.
2023 Dell Match Play Groups & Player Field
Although official groups and seedings won’t be announced until closer to the 2023 tournament, we can make some educated guesses on which players will likely be in the field based on current world rankings:
Projected Top 16 Seeds (Group Winners)
- Scottie Scheffler
- Rory McIlroy
- Jon Rahm
- Patrick Cantlay
- Justin Thomas
- Xander Schauffele
- Will Zalatoris
- Collin Morikawa
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Sungjae Im
- Cameron Young
- Max Homa
- Shane Lowry
- Jordan Spieth
- Tom Kim
- Viktor Hovland
The remaining 48 spots will be filled out by the next top players in the world rankings. Other big names we can expect to compete include:
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Billy Horschel
- Corey Conners
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Russell Henley
- Seamus Power
- Tony Finau
- Adam Scott
The field always features nearly all the top 50 ranked golfers in the world. Match play is unique from week-to-week stroke play events on tour, so it tends to attract all the big names in the game.
Group play will be hotly contested with competitors like McIlroy, Scheffler, Rahm, and Thomas all vying to win their group and advance to the weekend knockout rounds. The unpredictable head-to-head format means upsets are also likely to happen, especially with talented lower seeds like Corey Conners capable of beating anyone on a given day.
How to Watch on TV & Live Stream
For golf fans hoping to watch the action at the 2023 Dell Match Play, here are the TV schedule and live stream options:
Television
Wednesday-Friday: 2:00pm – 8:00pm EST on Golf Channel
Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm EST on Golf Channel, 2:00pm – 6:00pm EST on NBC
Sunday: 10:00am – 2:00pm EST on Golf Channel, 3:00pm – 7:00pm EST on NBC
Live Stream
Golf Channel and NBC streaming available on:
– PGA Tour Live subscription
– ESPN+
– Hulu Live TV
– Sling TV
– FuboTV
– YouTube TV
Many streaming TV packages like Hulu and YouTube TV also allow you to add the Golf Channel and NBC to your channel lineup.
So there are plenty of ways to tune into the Dell Match Play action in March with television and live streaming coverage running from Wednesday through Sunday. Be sure to adjust the schedule above for the Eastern time zone – Central time where the tournament is played is 1 hour earlier.
Conclusion
The 2023 Dell Technologies Match Play promises to provide plenty of golf excitement and unpredictability with its unique match play format. The 64 player field is stacked with the best golfers in the world, who will all be vying to win their group in round-robin play and advance to the win-or-go-home knockout rounds on the weekend.
While ticket availability is limited, especially for the final rounds, fans can tune into comprehensive live TV coverage on Golf Channel and NBC over the five days of competition at Austin Country Club. With past champions including Tiger Woods, match play specialists like Kevin Kisner, and current stars like Scottie Scheffler, this event always delivers drama until a winner is crowned on Sunday evening.