JASON DAY is the defending champion at a World Golf Championships Cadillac Match Play this week that sees the popular event with a new format and a new venue.
Day won last year in his memorable final round stoush with Victor Dubuisson with the Frenchman getting up and down from some amazing locations in the desert rough.
The year the Arizona desert is gone with the tournament moving to the TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, venue for the 2009 Presidents Cup and a World Golf Championship in 2005. Harding Park is unlikely to feature the snow and other extremes that made Dove Mountain none too popular with the players.
Gone too is the old format which too often saw the highest ranked marquee players going home after 18 holes of golf.
The new format has been likened to the Soccer World Cup pool system where the 64 man field is divided into four man groups.
Each of these groups is headed by one of the top 16 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, with the other three members randomly drawn, with one apiece coming from the Nos. 17-32 seeds, Nos. 33-48 and Nos. 49-64.
Each golfer plays at least three matches with the best performer advancing to the weekend finals.
The event features the world’s top 64 golfers, with the exception of Phil Mickelson who withdrew late due to “personal reasons”.
Australia is represented by Day, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and John Senden.
Day tops the group that includes Zach Johnson, Branden Grace and Charley Hoffman while Scott will battle it out with Chris Kirk, the dangerous Paul Casey and Francesco Molinari.
Australian TV Times
The Match Play runs over five days beginning Thursday Australian time with Fox Sports providing full live coverage. There’s unfortunately no free to air coverage as some might have expected based on previous years.
Thursday: 6:00am – 12:00pm (AEST)
Friday: 6:00am – 12:00pm
Saturday: 7:00am – 12:00pm
Sunday: 5:00am – 1:00pm
Monday: 4:00am – 8:00am
WGC Cadillac Match Play Live Scoring
WGC Cadillac Match Play Live Scoring2015 WGC Cadillac Match Play Groups & Schedule
Group 1
Players (seed): Rory McIlroy (1), Billy Horschel (18), Brandt Snedeker (35), Jason Dufner (53)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, McIlroy vs. Dufner, Horschel vs. Snedeker
Thursday: Round 2, McIlroy vs. Snedeker, Horschel vs. Dufner
Friday: Round 3, McIlroy vs. Horschel, Snedeker vs. Dufner
Next: Group 1 winner will play Group 16 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 2
Players (seed): Jordan Spieth (2), Lee Westwood (26), Matt Every (40), Mikko Ilonen (62)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Spieth vs. Ilonen, Westwood vs. Every
Thursday: Round 2, Spieth vs. Every, Westwood vs. Ilonen
Friday: Round 3, Spieth vs. Westwood, Every vs. Ilonen
Next: Group 2 winner will play Group 15 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 3
Players (seed): Henrik Stenson (3), Bill Haas (23), Brendon Todd (42), John Senden (60)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Stenson vs. Senden, Haas vs. Todd
Thursday: Round 2, Stenson vs. Todd, Haas vs. Senden
Friday: Round 3, Stenson vs. Haas, Todd vs. Senden
Next: Group 3 winner will play Group 14 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 4
Players (seed): Bubba Watson (4), Louis Oosthuizen (29), Keegan Bradley (33), Miguel Angel Jimenez (63)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Watson vs. Jimenez, Oosthuizen vs. Bradley
Thursday: Round 2, Watson vs. Bradley, Oosthuizen vs. Jimenez
Friday: Round 3, Watson vs. Oosthuizen, Bradley vs. Jimenez
Next: Group 4 winner will play Group 13 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 5
Players (seed): Jim Furyk (5), Martin Kaymer (17), Thongchai Jaidee (44), George Coetzee (59)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Furyk vs. Coetzee, Kaymer vs. Jaidee
Thursday: Round 2, Furyk vs. Jaidee, Kaymer vs. Coetzee
Friday: Round 3, Furyk vs. Kaymer, Jaidee vs. Coetzee
Next: Group 5 winner will play Group 12 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 6
Players (seed): Justin Rose (6), Ryan Palmer (22), Anirban Lahiri (34), Marc Leishman (56)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Rose vs. Leishman, Palmer vs. Lahiri
Thursday: Round 2, Rose vs. Lahiri, Palmer vs. Leishman
Friday: Round 3, Rose vs. Palmer, Lahiri vs. Leishman
Next: Group 6 winner will play Group 11 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 7
Players (seed): Jason Day (7), Zach Johnson (24), Branden Grace (38), Charley Hoffman (49)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Day vs. Hoffman, Johnson vs. Grace
Thursday: Round 2, Day vs. Grace, Johnson vs. Hoffman
Friday: Round 3, Day vs. Johnson, Grace vs. Hoffman
Next: Group 7 winner will play Group 10 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 8
Players (seed): Dustin Johnson (8), Victor Dubuisson (21), Charl Schwartzel (37), Matt Jones (58)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Johnson vs. Jones, Dubuisson vs. Schwartzel
Thursday: Round 2, Johnson vs. Schwartzel, Dubuisson vs. Jones
Friday: Round 3, Johnson vs. Dubuisson, Schwartzel vs. Jones
Next: Group 8 winner will play Group 9 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 9
Players (seed): Adam Scott (9), Chris Kirk (25), Paul Casey (36), Francesco Molinari (64)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Scott vs. Molinari, Kirk vs. Casey
Thursday: Round 2, Scott vs. Casey, Kirk vs. Molinari
Friday: Round 3, Scott vs. Kirk, Casey vs. Molinari
Next: Group 9 winner will play Group 8 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 10
Players (seed): Sergio Garcia (10), Jamie Donaldson (30), Bernd Wiesberger (39), Tommy Fleetwood (54)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Garcia vs. Fleetwood, Donaldson vs. Wiesberger
Thursday: Round 2, Garcia vs. Wiesberger, Donaldson vs. Fleetwood
Friday: Round 3, Garcia vs. Donaldson, Wiesberger vs. Fleetwood
Next: Group 10 winner will play Group 7 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 11
Players (seed): Jimmy Walker (11), Ian Poulter (27), Webb Simpson (46), Gary Woodland (50)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Walker vs. Woodland, Poulter vs. Simpson
Thursday: Round 2, Walker vs. Simpson, Poulter vs. Woodland
Friday: Round 3, Walker vs. Poulter, Simpson vs. Woodland
Next: Group 11 winner will play Group 6 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 12
Players (seed): J.B. Holmes (12), Brooks Koepka (19), Russell Henley (45), Marc Warren (51)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Holmes vs. Warren, Koepka vs. Henley
Thursday: Round 2, Holmes vs. Henley, Koepka vs. Warren
Friday: Round 3, Holmes vs. Koepka, Henley vs. Warren
Next: Group 12 winner will play Group 5 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 13
Players (seed): Rickie Fowler (13), Graeme McDowell (32), Shane Lowry (47), Harris English (55)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Fowler vs. English, McDowell vs. Lowry
Thursday: Round 2, Fowler vs. Lowry, McDowell vs. English
Friday: Round 3, Fowler vs. McDowell, Lowry vs. English
Next: Group 13 winner will play Group 4 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 14
Players (seed): Matt Kuchar (14), Hunter Mahan (31), Stephen Gallacher (41), Ben Martin (61)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Kuchar vs. Martin, Mahan vs. Gallacher
Thursday: Round 2, Kuchar vs. Gallacher, Mahan vs. Martin
Friday: Round 3, Kuchar vs. Mahan, Gallacher vs. Martin
Next: Group 14 winner will play Group 3 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 15
Players (seed): Patrick Reed (15), Ryan Moore (28), Danny Willett (48), Andy Sullivan (57)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Reed vs. Sullivan, Moore vs. Willett
Thursday: Round 2, Reed vs. Willett, Moore vs. Sullivan
Friday: Round 3, Reed vs. Moore, Willett vs. Sullivan
Next: Group 15 winner will play Group 2 winner Saturday in round of 16.
Group 16
Players (seed): Hideki Matsuyama (16), Kevin Na (20), Joost Luiten (43), Alexander Levy (52)
Match schedule:
Wednesday: Round 1, Matsuyama vs. Levy, Na vs. Luiten
Thursday: Round 2, Matsuyama vs. Luiten, Na vs. Levy
Friday: Round 3, Matsuyama vs. Na, Luiten vs. Levy
Next: Group 16 winner will play Group 1 winner Saturday in round of 16.