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WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Betting Guide (PGA)

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Matt Jones (60/1) fired an opening round of 61 at The Honda Classic en-route to his second career PGA Tour win. It was a dominating performance for the Aussie, who ended up winning the tournament by five strokes. The 40-year-old punched his ticket to the Masters beginning in two weeks. Russell Henley, who was written up last week,  finished T3 to cash the top-10 bet.

The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play returns this week after being postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. A field of the 64 top-ranked golfers in the world will tee it up beginning Wednesday for a chance to win 550 FedEx Cup points. The Florida swing officially comes to an end as the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas, will play host to the second WGC event of the season.

Match Play is a whole different format that many are not accustomed to. There will be 16 groups made up of four golfers in each group. Each respective golfer will play the other three in their group once, and the player with the highest point total after the group stage advances to the Round of 16, which is then single elimination.

Here is a link to an in-depth breakdown of the bracket.

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Previous Winners

  • 2019: Kevin Kisner (over Matt Kuchar)
  • 2018: Bubba Watson (over Kevin Kisner)
  • 2017: Dustin Johnson (over Jon Rahm)
  • 2016: Jason Day (over Louis Oosthuizen)

Course Preview

Austin Country Club in Texas is a Pete Dye-designed track that will play as a Par 71 and measures at just 7, 084 yards. The course is said to resemble a Scottish links-style layout with numerous undulations in the fairways and greens. Like any Pete Dye design, an emphasis on strong approach play must be put to use while considering your bets this week. Bombers including Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Bubba Watson have overpowered this course, while shorter hitters like Kevin Kisner and Matt Kuchar have had success as well. Austin Country Club features three Par 5s and three shorter Par 3s.

Relevant Betting Stats

  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Performance on Pete Dye designs
  • Birdie-or-better
  • Par 4 scoring
  • Putting on Bermuda greens

Outright Betting Picks

Collin Morikawa (+2000 on DraftKings Sportsbook)

The number one approach player in the game this season will look to advance out of his group by defeating Billy Horschel, Max Homa, and J.T. Poston. Morikawa was victorious over Billy Horschel in the final pairing of the WGC-Workday Championship en route to his first title of 2021. The California native became the youngest player ever to win a Major and a WGC by the age of 25. He has the ideal skillset for a Pete Dye design, one of the best approach players in the game, and very accurate off the tee. It all comes down to putting once again for Morikawa.

Tyrrell Hatton (+3500 on DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Englishman has a strong matchplay record (9-6-1) and is playing some excellent golf in 2021. In just nine events on the PGA Tour, Hatton has five top-25s in nine events, including a T3 at the CJ Cup and a T7 at the Vivint Houston Open. He ranked fourth in strokes gained: approach last year and has barely missed a beat with his irons in 2021, ranking eighth. Hatton is an absolute grinder on the golf course who thrives when the pressure is on.

Mid Range Betting Picks

Scottie Scheffler (+4500 on DraftKings Sportsbook) 

Scheffler is a Texas native who can go on birdie runs like the best of them. He has an elite birdie average of 4.48, which ranks 16th on Tour and is both long and accurate off the tee. This combination has helped him rank seventh in ball striking on Tour this season. In his group, Scheffler will draw Xander Schauffele, Jason Day, and Andy Sullivan. Scheffler beat all three of them at the last WGC (fifth place) and will look to keep the momentum going in his home state.

Corey Conners (+5500 on DraftKings Sportsbook)

Conners has blossomed into one of the game’s best ball-strikers over the past couple of seasons. The Canadian ranks 12th in strokes gained: approach and 14th in strokes gained: off-the-tee. His recent form has been excellent as well. Conners has two consecutive top-10s, including a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a seventh at the Players Championship. TPC Sawgrass at the Players was a Pete Dye design that Conners tore apart.

Event Plays

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Nic Turner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.