Rory, Shane and G-Mac set for WGC-Dell Match Play
Rory McIlroy
The field for the WGC-Dell Match Play is taking shape and while world No. 7 Henrik Stenson and No 15 Jim Furyk will be giving it a miss, it's still likely to be a cracker.
As Furyk recovers from wrist surgery and Stenson skips the event in Austin due to scheduling, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell will fly the flag for Irish golf.
Players have until 5 p.m. this Friday to commit to the field or be replaced by Nos. 65, 66, etc., in the OWGR until the field of 64 is filled.
In the case of Stenson and Furyk, world Nos 65 and 66, Patton Kizzire and Thornbjorn Olesen, will step into the breach in an event where the favourite will be Texas Longhorn and world No. 1 Jordan Spieth, who will be looking to capture his first World Golf Championship.
The past two winners of the Dell Match Play trail Spieth at Nos. 2 and 3 in the world.
McIlroy won the 2015 Dell Match Play in convincing fashion at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, and Jason Day took home the 2014 title in a dramatic 23-hole finale at Dove Mountain in Tucson, beating McDowell along the way.
With the field of 64 all but finalised with one week remaining, players already qualified and committed as of Friday still have a chance to improve their seeding before groups are selected on Monday of tournament week.
The top 16 players in the OWGR will each be the top seed in their four-player group, while the remaining three players will be chosen randomly during the Dell Match Play Draw Show, which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel from the Paramount Theatre in Austin on Monday, March 21, from 6-8 p.m.
The qualified 64 players are listed below:
1 Jordan Spieth
2 Rory McIlroy
3 Jason Day
4 Bubba Watson
5 Rickie Fowler
6 Adam Scott
7 Henrik Stenson
8 Justin Rose
9 Dustin Johnson
10 Patrick Reed
11 Danny Willett
12 Branden Grace
13 Sergio Garcia
14 Hideki Matsuyama
15 Jim Furyk
16 Louis Oosthuizen
17 Brandt Snedeker
18 Phil Mickelson
19 Brooks Koepka
20 Zach Johnson
21 Charl Schwartzel
22 Kevin Kisner
23 J.B. Holmes
24 Jimmy Walker
25 Shane Lowry
26 Paul Casey
27 Kevin Na
28 Matt Kuchar
29 Marc Leishman
30 Byeong Hun An
31 Bill Haas
32 Andy Sullivan
33 Justin Thomas
34 Russell Knox
35 Danny Lee
36 Emiliano Grillo
37 Bernd Wiesberger
38 Thongchai Jaidee
39 David Lingmerth
40 Victor Dubuisson
41 Chris Wood
42 Martin Kaymer
43 Soren Kjeldsen
44 Billy Horschel
45 Ryan Moore
46 Kiradech Aphibarnrat
47 Matthew Fitzpatrick
48 Scott Piercy
49 Robert Streb
50 Smylie Kaufman
51 Jaco Van Zyl
52 Anirban Lahiri
53 Jamie Donaldson
54 Daniel Berger
55 Rafael Cabrera Bello
56 Thomas Pieters
57 Charley Hoffman
58 Jason Dufner
59 Fabian Gomez
60 Chris Kirk
61 Matt Jones
62 Graeme McDowell
63 Lee Westwood
64 Marcus Fraser
The next five players in the OWGR that will act as alternates until the field of 64 is filled:
65 Patton Kizzire
66 Thornbjorn Olesen
67 Ian Poulter
68 Gary Woodland
69 Ryan Palmer
