90-minute live special on Golf Channel to originate from Austin’s Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt; Bracket drawn before live audience to reveal group matches; NBC Sports Group’s tournament coverage to feature nearly 35 live hours
of matches on Golf Channel and NBC, March 21-25
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 16, 2018) – Four of the top-20 players in the world, Jon Rahm (No. 3), Tommy Fleetwood (No. 11), Marc Leishman (No. 16) and Pat Perez (No. 19) are scheduled to join the live World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Bracket Special on Monday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. The 90-minute live primetime special will originate from Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Texas, and feature golf’s own version of a March bracket-style tournament selection format under the guidance of PGA TOUR competition officials.
Being staged at Austin Country Club Wednesday-Sunday, March 21-25, the 64-man WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play field will learn their match opponents for round-robin play (Wednesday-Friday) during Monday night’s special from inside the hotel’s Ladybird Ballroom. The show also will feature several special guests taking part in the selection process, including:
• Ben Crenshaw & Tom Kite, World Golf Hall of Fame members and former University of Texas standouts
• Roger Clemens, seven-time Cy Young Award winner
• Mack Brown, former University of Texas national championship-winning football coach
• Earl Campbell, former University of Texas and 1977 Heisman trophy-winning running back
• Luke Wilson, award-winning actor
• Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas
• Michael Dell, Founder & CEO of Dell Technologies
Ryan Burr will host the show, with Brandel Chamblee and Tim Rosaforte offering insight and analysis on the field as each group is unveiled. Todd Lewis and Cara Banks will conduct interviews with players in attendance.
Selection Format
The top seed for each of the 16 four-player groups will be filled by the top 16 players in the field by order of their position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Subsequently, the remaining three players in each group will be determined by a blind draw from three separate pools based on each player’s overall standing in the OWGR. Each four-player group will compete in round-robin matches amongst one another Wednesday through Friday. The player with the best record in each group advances to the Round of 16 for single-elimination match play.
Below is an example of how the seeding process could play out Monday night:
No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament given his standing in the OWGR. He would be the No. 1 seed in group 1.
The final three spots in his group would be randomly drawn from the pools below:
Pool B – Players seeded 17-32
Pool C – Players seeded 33-48
Pool D – Players seeded 49-64
Group 1 example
Player A – Dustin Johnson (Ranked No. 1)
Player B – Xander Schauffele (Ranked No. 24)
Player C – Tony Finau (Ranked No. 34)
Player D – Charl Schwartzel (Ranked No. 52)
As the show progresses, completed groups will be posted live to PGATOUR.com and fans will be able to follow analysis and commentary throughout the draw. A live stream of the show also will be available on Golf Channel Digital, the PGA TOUR mobile app and on PGATOUR.com.
Live Tournament Coverage: Wednesday-Sunday, March 21-25
NBC Sports Group will feature nearly 35 live hours of tournament coverage from the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Golf Channel will carry live coverage of round robin matches Wednesday-Friday, March 21-23. On Saturday, March 24, Golf Channel will provide coverage of the Round of 16, followed by the Quarterfinals matches airing on NBC. On Sunday, March 25, Golf Channel will showcase the Semifinals matches, followed by the Championship and Consolation matches airing on NBC.
The tournament broadcast team will include Terry Gannon and Nick Faldo (Golf Channel), along with Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller (NBC) positioned in the 18th tower. For telecasts on both networks, Gary Koch and Peter Jacobsen will report from tower positions, while Roger Maltbie, David Feherty, Notah Begay, Jim “Bones” Mackay and Steve Sands will follow the matches on the ground as on-course reporters, and Jimmy Roberts will provide essays.
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Airtimes (all times Eastern):
Monday, March 19
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Bracket Special 7:30-9 p.m. Golf Channel
Wednesday, March 21
Day One – Round Robin 2-8 p.m. Golf Channel
Thursday, March 22
Day Two – Round Robin 2-8 p.m. Golf Channel
Friday, March 23
Day Three – Round Robin 2-8 p.m. Golf Channel
Saturday, March 24
Round of 16 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Golf Channel
Quarterfinals 2-6 p.m. NBC
Sunday, March 25
Semifinals 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Golf Channel
Championship and Consolation Matches 3-7 p.m. NBC
Contact:
Jeff Szklinski
Golf Channel Communications
Jeff.Szklinski@golfchannel.com
407-248-3267
