The end of the WGC Match Play era and Scottie Scheffler’s dominance

The history of the WGC Match Play

The WGC-Match Play Championship concluded its run at Austin Country Club and ended a tournament that began in 1999. I find the absence of a match play event for 2024 without the WGC distinction a significant loss for variety. Matt Kuchar tied Tiger Woods for the most victories in this event with 36 wins. The 2023 format included 16 pods of four players for a round-robin stage before transitioning to a single-elimination bracket. Players in the top 16 occupied the A group, while the next 16 formed the B group, and a lottery machine assigned them to pods. Matt Kuchar, who tied Tiger Woods for the most victories in the match play event with 36, expressed his disappointment regarding the end of the tournament since he believes these unique formats provide a necessary break from 72-hole stroke play every week. He also noted his fondness for the old International at Castle Pines and the Stableford format used at the Barracuda Championship. In 2022, the tournament purse was $12 million, with the winner taking $2,100,000. Players who reached the round of 16 earned at least $220,000, while those who lost in the quarterfinals received $386,000. This scheduling placed the event two weeks before the Masters, which caused problems for the field in recent years.

Scottie Scheffler’s dominance

Scottie Scheffler claimed the 2026 FedEx Cup playoff title after winning the Tour Championship with a score of 261, which is 16 strokes under par. He finished 3 points ahead of Viktor Hovland and took home $10 million in prize money. Hovland earned $5 million for second place, and Ryan Gerard finished third with -12 strokes to receive $3.705 million. Xander Schauffele finished tied for 14th and received $536,250. This win marks Scheffler’s second FedEx Cup playoff title, following his first in 2024. I find his dominance remarkable, especially after he won The American Express earlier this year in La Quinta, California. At that event, he shot a 6-under 66 on the Pete Dye Stadium Course to secure his 20th PGA Tour victory. That victory included a four-shot margin despite a double bogey on the par-3 17th hole. His $1.656 million prize came from a $9.2 million purse, and it made him the first world No. 1 player to win the title.

The changing landscape

The PGA Tour faces a challenge in finding a home for match play since the WGC identity vanished. Jay Monahan said the match play format did not work for the next season’s schedule. Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Sam Burns occupied the final four of the last WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. The 2023 field included players like Jon Rahm, who advanced out of pool play in three of five appearances, and Hideki Matsuyama, who has not advanced out of pool play in his last five starts. Tyrrell Hatton also entered the tournament after finishing in the weekend in three of his past four Match Play starts. Even with the new designated event schedule, finding a slot for match play remains difficult. You should know that finding a place for match play will be a challenge for the tour. The tournament once provided a way to see top players compete in a head-to-head setting. Will the PGA Tour and DP World Tour co-sanction a new match play tournament to attract top players?