WGC Match Play
 

Interesting format with three rounds of round robin a with the 16 winners going into single elimination match play.

I love watching match play golf. The Ryder Cup is possibly my favorite event.

The problem with it is, of course, is that your best and most popular, players could end up being eliminated before the weekend. This is why the PGA changed the PGA Championship from match play to stroke play back in 1957. They often ended up with two players no one care abut in the finals.

I've been watching this years events and just speculating. Jason Day is out and it's possible that Jordan Speith, Rory McLroy, Bubba Watson and several other big names could be eliminated. I wonder how many people will be watching if Danny Willet is playing Brandon Grace in the finals.

As much as I love match play, I am conflicted about this format for a tournament that is almost as important as the four majors.

What do you think?

I watched some of it this evening. I found it to be interesting and have to see how it plays out. I have not watched that much match play before except the Ryder cup.

WGC Match Play
 

I just can't get into match play. I feel like each and every stroke matters so much more in medal play. Plus...regardless of what the PGA wants us to think, I can't put this even close to the majors in importance.

...athough Jimenez and Bradley did make a solid effort to spice things up a bit today. :)

It's not the PGA, it's the International Federation of Professional Golf
Tours.

If you look at it, it's almost as important as any of the majors. It certainly has the strongest field. The top 64 players in the World Golf Rankings (which I admit, needs to be modified) are the only one's playing.

The number of OWGR points are awarded for these events is about the same as the majors and The Players.

While I agree, every stroke in stroke play seems to be more important, and this is not always the case. When player that has a ten stroke lead with five holes one or two shots don't mean much. A few strokes don't mean much to a player that is well out of the range of making the cut. Each match in match play is very important. If you lose your match you go home. It's like having a cut every day.

Match play is interesting because it's mano y mano. In stroke play, the guy who wins the tournament could finish hours ahead of other contenders and they are not seeing each other play. The idea of facing your opponent for eighteen holes and having to respond to him and he to you is what makes match play interesting.

Match play is a very interesting format for many reasons. Stroke play, however is a much better method of determining a champion.

The tournament really starts today with a 16 man field. I wonder how the IFOPGAT, The PGA and the networks feel about the fact that Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Jordan Speith have gone home? There are a lot of no names left and the finals could end up being between two guys that most of us never heard of.

WGC Match Play
 

I wasn't speaking of the PGA as the governing body of the tournament, just as the main pro golf organization in the U.S. And my statement that the WGC in no way compares to the majors is just my opinion, which is not likely to change, at least for quite some time.

And just for the sake of discussion...

Really large leads the last day of a stroke play tournament are not common. More frequently there are several golfers who can still win right down to the last few holes. A large lead in the finals of a match play tournament would be even worse imo, not even making it to the later holes, with no other players to mount a challenge. And if a stroke play tournament is won by someone finishing hours ahead of the third round leaders, then something very special is likely to have occurred...either a group collapse by the third-round leaders, not that likely for all the leaders, or a spectacular round by the winner, which is a near certainty. That is always special to see.

You certainly have every right to your opinion. But, I believe that most of the players look at these four events as the second tier below the majors. As you say, maybe not majors, but certainly a step above the regular tour event. I think that most of the players look at them as being on the same level as the Players.

And you certainly have every right to yours.

But I would have to hear it from the tour players to believe they consider match play above a regular tour event. I don't think it's that "certain". I respect your opinion, but I don't necessarily agree with your statement of tour players' opinions.

Part of the reason I enjoyed watching the play was that the cameras don't seem to jump or bounce so quickly between players as often.

In addition to the co-organizing the Ryder Cup every two years, the PGA controls only one event each year, The PGA Championship. The PGA Tour controls most of the rest. The PGA Tour and the PGA are two separate entities, one is for club pros and the other for tour pros. Interestingly, the PGA Tour does not run any of the majors.

The World Golf Championship pay out more money, more OWGR points and more FedEx points than any of the other tour events except for the majors, The Players and the four playoffs events.

The Players is the PGA Tour's major, or at least what they're hoping will become the fifth major. Many of the players consider it the fifth major.

The PGA of America and the PGA Tour although are separate organizations, they do have a very close relationship. A PGA member sits on the tour's board and a tour player sits on the PGA of America's board.

At one time it was all the PGA of America but the players felt that they wanted more control of the tournaments so they created a brother organization so the PGA Tour was born.

At one time it was a requirement that in order to be a member of the PGA Tour, one also had to become a member of the PGA. Not sure how that all works now.

I'm sure the number of views declines significantly when the big name players are eliminated. That is a problem for the sponsors.

I could see it being the 5th major. It's a great tournament. And the PGA players think very highly of it. Nothing wrong with adding a 5th major to the mix.

That's exactly why the PGA changed their championship to medal play back in 1957. Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Casper, Palmer and Middlecoff were all eliminated early and Jackie Burke Jy defeated Ted Kroll in the finals and no one cared.