Updated 2022 WGC-Dell Match Play Odds, Field, Format: Jon Rahm Favored in Austin

2022 WGC-Dell Match Play Odds

Odds via Caesars.

Bet the WGC Match Play at PointsBet and get $250 FREE.

Bet Now

For the PGA TOUR's final big-time tuneup before Augusta National, the world's best golfers head to Austin for the WGC-Dell Match Play this week.

According to the Official World Golf Rankings entering this past week, 64 of the top 69 players will be at Austin Country Club this week. The five who will be missing are PLAYERS champion Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Harris English and Phil Mickelson. McIlroy is the only one who is currently scheduled to be in action next week at the Valero Texas Open.

Last year saw Billy Horschel outlast former University of Texas standout Scottie Scheffler in the final. Matt Kuchar won the third-place matchup over Frenchman Victor Perez.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm is favored, but he's no longer below 10-1 as he was at the start of 2022, in part due to the variability of this tournament. Justin Thomas’ finishes this year have been T5, T20, T8, 6, T33 and 3, so his impressive form has drawn him closer to Rahm.

Format

Obviously, this is a unique tournament. Match play is not stroke play.

There will be 16 groups of four golfers that will play head-to-head in match-play format on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The winner of each group, and only the winner, will advance to the knockout rounds, which start on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Round of 16 will be played in the morning and then the quarterfinals in the afternoon. The semifinals will take place on Sunday morning, and the third-place matchup and championship that afternoon.

The 64-player field has been divided into four pools for the draw. One player is selected from each pool to make up the 16 groups.

From there, round-robin play will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. One point will be given to the winner of a matchup, and the point will be split for a draw. The 16 group winners are the only ones who will advance to the knockout rounds.

If two players are tied at the top of a group, there will be a sudden-death playoff on Friday to determine who advances. Last year, those were proven to be quite entertaining:

Payouts

The payouts this week are unique in comparison to a regular PGA TOUR event.

Obviously, making it to the knockout stages and winning your group is much more lucrative. Last year, players who lost in the round of 16 brought home $189,000. Quarterfinalists made $337,000, and then the top-four payouts were dependent on where the players finished.

Scheffler made $1.15 million for second place, while Horschel got $1.82 million for his win.

Players who don’t advance to the knockout rounds don’t go home empty-handed, though. Last year, every player in the field made at least $35,750, which is how much the four players who earned zero points in round-robin play made.

The most made by a player who was eliminated in the group stage was Ryan Palmer, who finished with 2.5 points in group play but lost on the second playoff hole to his close friend and Zurich Classic partner Rahm.

Bet at BetMGM and get a risk-free bet up to $1,000.

Bet Now

The Course

Austin Country Club is not going to be the longest or most difficult course players face this season, but precision will be key. It’s a par-71 track that measures barely over 7,100 yards.

That means putting your drive in the right place and setting yourself up well on approach will be crucial this week.

The must-have app for golf bettors

Custom scoreboard for your bets

Free picks from experts

Live odds for every golfer

Download Now