This article is part of our Weekly Preview series.
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
Austin Country Club
Austin, TX
The PGA Tour heads to Texas for its own form of "Madness." It's not quite the level we saw when the entire tournament was single elimination, but it's still pretty intriguing by PGA Tour standards.
Speaking of that, I wonder how the public feels about the current format. Personally, I prefer the one-and-done. Yes, I realize the golfers do not like traveling for only one guaranteed round, but how in the world can anyone complain about a $50,000 paycheck to play 18 holes and head home for an extended weekend? I also realize the old style was not very TV-friendly, as many top seeds were eliminated before the weekend, but has the new format really fixed that issue? I think that's where the problem lies. Like the NCAA Tournament, this event was never supposed to only be about the final, but rather the first couple rounds when the excitement peaks. Only the hard-core fans stick around to watch the final, but everyone loves the early games because the action is fast-paced and lots lies ahead. The same held true for this tournament under the old format. The first couple days were great, and if the weekend was a dud, so be it. Now ,the first day doesn't necessarily mean anything, and day three, well, you could have several matches that have no bearing on the final result. I like this event, but I liked it more when there was drama from
