# 2016 WGC-Dell Match Play

The 2016 WGC-Dell Match Play was the 18th WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, played March 23–27 at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. It was the second of four World Golf Championships in 2016. The Championship was won by Jason Day, it was his second WGC-Match Play win in three years.

## Field

The field consisted of the top 64 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking on March 13. However, the seedings are based on the World Ranking on March 20.
Henrik Stenson (ranked 7 on March 13, personal reasons) and Jim Furyk (ranked 15, wrist surgery) did not compete, allowing entry for Patton Kizzire (ranked 65) and Thorbjørn Olesen (ranked 66).

## Format

In 2014 and earlier editions, the championship was a single elimination match play event. A new format was introduced in 2015, and the championship now starts with 16 groups of four players playing round-robin matches, on Wednesday through Friday. The top 16 seeded players are allocated to the 16 groups, one in each group. The remaining 48 players are placed into three pools (seeds 17–32, seeds 33–48, seeds 49–64). One player is randomly selected from each pool to complete each group.
In 2015, there were no halved matches in group play with extra holes played to determine the winner for each match if necessary. In 2016, all group play matches were limited to 18 holes with one point awarded for a win and one-half point for a halved match. Ties for first place in a group were broken by a sudden-death stroke play playoff, beginning on hole 1.
The winners of each group advanced to a single-elimination bracket on the weekend, with the round of 16 and quarterfinals on Saturday, and the semifinals, finals, and consolation match on Sunday.
Pool A – Top 16 seeds :
| Seed | Rank | Player |
| 1 | 1 | Jordan Spieth |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Day |
| 3 | 3 | Rory McIlroy |
| 4 | 4 | Bubba Watson |
| 5 | 5 | Rickie Fowler |
| 6 | 6 | Adam Scott |
| 7 | 8 | Justin Rose |
| 8 | 9 | Dustin Johnson |
| 9 | 10 | Patrick Reed |
| 10 | 11 | Danny Willett |
| 11 | 12 | Branden Grace |
| 12 | 13 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 13 | 14 | Sergio García |
| 14 | 15 | Zach Johnson |
| 15 | 17 | Brandt Snedeker |
| 16 | 18 | Louis Oosthuizen |
Pool B :
| Seed | Rank | Player |
| 17 | 19 | Phil Mickelson |
| 18 | 20 | Brooks Koepka |
| 19 | 21 | Charl Schwartzel |
| 20 | 22 | Kevin Kisner |
| 21 | 23 | J. B. Holmes |
| 22 | 24 | Jimmy Walker |
| 23 | 25 | Paul Casey |
| 24 | 26 | Shane Lowry |
| 25 | 27 | Marc Leishman |
| 26 | 28 | Kevin Na |
| 27 | 29 | An Byeong-hun |
| 28 | 30 | Matt Kuchar |
| 29 | 31 | Andy Sullivan |
| 30 | 32 | Bill Haas |
| 31 | 33 | Justin Thomas |
| 32 | 34 | Russell Knox |
Pool C :
| Seed | Rank | Player |
| 33 | 35 | Emiliano Grillo |
| 34 | 36 | Danny Lee |
| 35 | 37 | Bernd Wiesberger |
| 36 | 38 | Thongchai Jaidee |
| 37 | 39 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat |
| 38 | 40 | David Lingmerth |
| 39 | 41 | Victor Dubuisson |
| 40 | 42 | Billy Horschel |
| 41 | 43 | Chris Wood |
| 42 | 44 | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 43 | 45 | Søren Kjeldsen |
| 44 | 46 | Martin Kaymer |
| 45 | 47 | Ryan Moore |
| 46 | 48 | Smylie Kaufman |
| 47 | 49 | Scott Piercy |
| 48 | 50 | Anirban Lahiri |
Pool D :
| Seed | Rank | Player |
| 49 | 51 | Robert Streb |
| 50 | 52 | Jaco van Zyl |
| 51 | 53 | Jamie Donaldson |
| 52 | 54 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello |
| 53 | 55 | Daniel Berger |
| 54 | 56 | Chris Kirk |
| 55 | 57 | Thomas Pieters |
| 56 | 58 | Charley Hoffman |
| 57 | 59 | Fabián Gómez |
| 58 | 60 | Jason Dufner |
| 59 | 61 | Lee Westwood |
| 60 | 62 | Marcus Fraser |
| 61 | 63 | Matt Jones |
| 62 | 64 | Graeme McDowell |
| 63 | 65 | Patton Kizzire |
| 64 | 66 | Thorbjørn Olesen |
Rank – Official World Golf Ranking on March 20, 2016.

## Results
### Pool play

Players were divided into 16 groups of four players and played round-robin matches Wednesday to Friday.
* Round 1 – March 23
* Round 2 – March 24
* Round 3 – March 25
Notes: Round 1
Of the 32 matches played, 9 were "upsets" with the lower seeded player beating the higher seeded player and 6 matches were halved. These included top seeds #5 Rickie Fowler, #8 Dustin Johnson, #11 Branden Grace, and #12 Hideki Matsuyama losing matches and #4 Bubba Watson, #6 Adam Scott, and #10 Danny Willett halving matches.
Notes: Round 2
Of the 32 matches played, 5 were upsets with the lower seeded player beating the higher seeded player and 7 matches were halved. These included top seeds #10 Danny Willett and #13 Sergio García losing matches and #5 Rickie Fowler, #7 Justin Rose, and #15 Brandt Snedeker halving matches. There were 13 players that had perfect 2–0–0 records, including the top three seeds: Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Rory McIlroy.
Notes: Round 3
Of the 32 matches played, 10 were upsets with the lower seeded player beating the higher seeded player and 4 matches were halved. These included top seeds #4 Bubba Watson, #6 Adam Scott, and #7 Justin Rose losing matches and #3 Rory McIlroy and #5 Rickie Fowler halving matches. Four groups went to sudden-death playoffs, each involving two players, with three ending after one hole and the fourth ending on the second hole. Six golfers advanced with perfect 3–0–0 records: #1 Jordan Spieth, #2 Jason Day, #9 Patrick Reed, #14 Zach Johnson, #16 Louis Oosthuizen, and #30 Bill Haas. Two golfers conceded their matches early, Paul Casey conceded to Jason Day after six holes due to illness and Daniel Berger conceded Matt Fitzpatrick at the start of the match due to a wrist injury suffered on the 18th hole on Thursday, when he clipped the rock wall and missed the ball while trying to hit his second shot. Eight of the top 16 seeds advanced while three of the bottom 16 seeds advanced including #63 Patton Kizzire. Eleven Americans advance to the round of 16.
Group 1 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Spieth | 3 & 2 | Donaldson |
| 1 | Dubuisson | 3 & 2 | Thomas |
| 2 | Spieth | 5 & 4 | Dubuisson |
| 2 | Donaldson | 2 up | Thomas |
| 3 | Spieth | 3 & 2 | Thomas |
| 3 | Donaldson | 1 up | Dubuisson |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 1 | Jordan Spieth | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 51 | Jamie Donaldson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 39 | Victor Dubuisson | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 31 | Justin Thomas | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Group 2 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Day | 3 & 2 | McDowell |
| 1 | Jaidee | 2 & 1 | Casey |
| 2 | Day | 5 & 3 | Jaidee |
| Casey vs McDowell – halved |||
| 3 | Day | Conceded | Casey |
| Jaidee vs McDowell – halved |||
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 2 | Jason Day | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 36 | Thongchai Jaidee | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 62 | Graeme McDowell | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 23 | Paul Casey | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 3 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | McIlroy | 1 up | Olesen |
| 1 | Na | 2 & 1 | Kaufman |
| 2 | McIlroy | 3 & 1 | Kaufman |
| 2 | Na | 3 & 2 | Olesen |
| 3 | McIlroy vs Na – halved | McIlroy vs Na – halved | McIlroy vs Na – halved |
| 3 | Olesen | 2 & 1 | Kaufman |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 3 | Rory McIlroy | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 26 | Kevin Na | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 64 | Thorbjørn Olesen | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 46 | Smylie Kaufman | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Group 4 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Watson vs Kizzire – halved | Watson vs Kizzire – halved | Watson vs Kizzire – halved |
| 1 | Grillo | 3 & 2 | Holmes |
| 2 | Watson | 2 up | Grillo |
| Holmes vs Kizzire – halved |||
| 3 | Holmes | 1 up | Watson |
| 3 | Kizzire | 2 up | Grillo |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 63 | Patton Kizzire | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Bubba Watson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 21 | J. B. Holmes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 33 | Emiliano Grillo | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Group 5 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Dufner | 2 & 1 | Fowler |
| An vs Piercy – halved |||
| 2 | Fowler vs Piercy – halved | Fowler vs Piercy – halved | Fowler vs Piercy – halved |
| 2 | An | 2 up | Dufner |
| 3 | Fowler vs An – halved | Fowler vs An – halved | Fowler vs An – halved |
| 3 | Piercy | 1 up | Dufner |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 27 | An Byeong-hun | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 47 | Scott Piercy | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 58 | Jason Dufner | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | T3 |
| 5 | Rickie Fowler | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | T3 |
Group 6 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Scott vs Pieters – halved | Scott vs Pieters – halved | Scott vs Pieters – halved |
| 1 | Haas | 2 & 1 | Wood |
| 2 | Scott | 3 & 2 | Wood |
| 2 | Haas | 4 & 2 | Pieters |
| 3 | Haas | 1 up | Scott |
| 3 | Pieters | 3 & 2 | Wood |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 30 | Bill Haas | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 | Adam Scott | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 55 | Thomas Pieters | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 41 | Chris Wood | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Group 7 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Rose | 2 up | Gómez |
| 1 | Kuchar | 6 & 5 | Lahiri |
| 2 | Rose vs Lahiri – halved | Rose vs Lahiri – halved | Rose vs Lahiri – halved |
| Kuchar vs Gomez – halved |||
| 3 | Kuchar | 3 & 2 | Rose |
| 3 | Lahiri | 4 & 2 | Gómez |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 28 | Matt Kuchar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 7 | Justin Rose | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 48 | Anirban Lahiri | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 57 | Fabián Gómez | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 8 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Streb | 3 & 2 | D Johnson |
| 1 | Aphibarnrat | 2 & 1 | Walker |
| 2 | D Johnson | 5 & 4 | Aphibarnrat |
| 2 | Walker | 4 & 3 | Streb |
| 3 | D Johnson | 2 & 1 | Walker |
| 3 | Aphibarnrat | 1 up | Streb |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 8 | Dustin Johnson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 37 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | Jimmy Walker | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | T3 |
| 49 | Robert Streb | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | T3 |
Group 9 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Reed | 1 up | Berger |
| 1 | Mickelson | 5 & 4 | Fitzpatrick |
| 2 | Reed | 4 & 3 | Fitzpatrick |
| 2 | Mickelson | 1 up | Berger |
| 3 | Reed | 5 & 4 | Mickelson |
| 3 | Fitzpatrick | Conceded | Berger |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 9 | Patrick Reed | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | Phil Mickelson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 42 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 53 | Daniel Berger | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Group 10 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Willett vs Van Zyl – halved | Willett vs Van Zyl – halved | Willett vs Van Zyl – halved |
| 1 | Koepka | 3 & 2 | Horschel |
| 2 | Horschel | 3 & 2 | Willett |
| 2 | Koepka | 5 & 4 | Van Zyl |
| 3 | Willett | 4 & 3 | Koepka |
| 3 | Van Zyl | 3 & 1 | Horschel |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 18 | Brooks Koepka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | Danny Willett | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 50 | Jaco van Zyl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | T2 |
| 40 | Billy Horschel | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Group 11 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Kirk | 3 & 1 | Grace |
| Knox vs Lingmerth – halved |||
| 2 | Grace | 4 & 3 | Lingmerth |
| 2 | Knox | 2 & 1 | Kirk |
| 3 | Grace | 5 & 4 | Knox |
| 3 | Kirk | 3 & 2 | Lingmerth |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 54 | Chris Kirk | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | Branden Grace | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 32 | Russell Knox | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 |
| 38 | David Lingmerth | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 12 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Cabrera-Bello | 1 up | Matsuyama |
| 1 | Kisner | 2 & 1 | Kjeldsen |
| 2 | Matsuyama | 4 & 2 | Kjeldsen |
| 2 | Cabrera-Bello | 4 & 3 | Kisner |
| 3 | Matsuyama | 3 & 2 | Kisner |
| Kjeldsen vs Cabrera-Bello – halved |||
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 12 | Hideki Matsuyama | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Kevin Kisner | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 43 | Søren Kjeldsen | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 13 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | García | 1 up | Westwood |
| Leishman vs Moore – halved |||
| 2 | Moore | 1 up | García |
| 2 | Westwood | 1 up | Leishman |
| 3 | García | 5 & 4 | Leishman |
| 3 | Moore | 3 & 1 | Westwood |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 45 | Ryan Moore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 13 | Sergio García | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 59 | Lee Westwood | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Marc Leishman | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 14 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Z Johnson | 4 & 3 | Fraser |
| 1 | Kaymer | 1 up | Lowry |
| 2 | Z Johnson | 8 & 6 | Kaymer |
| Lowry vs Fraser – halved |||
| 3 | Z Johnson | 4 & 3 | Lowry |
| 3 | Kaymer | 4 & 3 | Fraser |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 14 | Zach Johnson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 44 | Martin Kaymer | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 24 | Shane Lowry | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | T3 |
| 60 | Marcus Fraser | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | T3 |
Group 15 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Snedeker | 2 & 1 | Hoffman |
| 1 | Schwartzel | 1 up | Lee |
| 2 | Snedeker vs Lee – halved | Snedeker vs Lee – halved | Snedeker vs Lee – halved |
| 2 | Schwartzel | 3 & 2 | Hoffman |
| 3 | Snedeker | 5 & 3 | Schwartzel |
| 3 | Hoffman | 4 & 2 | Lee |
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 15 | Brandt Snedeker | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 19 | Charl Schwartzel | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 56 | Charley Hoffman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 34 | Danny Lee | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 |
Group 16 :
| Round | Winner | Score | Loser |
| 1 | Oosthuizen | 2 & 1 | Jones |
| 1 | Sullivan | 3 & 2 | Wiesberger |
| 2 | Oosthuizen | 2 & 1 | Wiesberger |
| 2 | Sullivan | 3 & 1 | Jones |
| 3 | Oosthuizen | 4 & 2 | Sullivan |
| Wiesberger vs Jones – halved |||
| Seed | Player | W | L | H | Points | Finish |
| 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Andy Sullivan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 35 | Bernd Wiesberger | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | T3 |
| 61 | Matt Jones | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | T3 |

### Final 16 bracket

| Round of 16 March 26 – morning | Round of 16 March 26 – morning | Round of 16 March 26 – morning | Quarterfinals March 26 – afternoon | Quarterfinals March 26 – afternoon | Quarterfinals March 26 – afternoon | Semifinals March 27 – morning | Semifinals March 27 – morning | Semifinals March 27 – morning | | Final March 27 – afternoon | Final March 27 – afternoon | Final March 27 – afternoon |
| 1 | Jordan Spieth | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | 4&2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | 4&2 | 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | 2&1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Dustin Johnson | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Dustin Johnson | 3&2 | 8 | Dustin Johnson | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Patrick Reed | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Patrick Reed | | | | | 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | 4&3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | | | | | |
| 27 | An Byeong-hun | | | | | | | | 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | | | | | |
| 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | Conc | | | | | | | | | | |
| 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | Conc | 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | 2&1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 45 | Ryan Moore | | | | | | | | |
| 63 | Patton Kizzire | | 45 | Ryan Moore | | | | | | | | |
| 45 | Ryan Moore | 4&3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 45 | Ryan Moore | 4&3 | | | | | | | | 16 | Louis Oosthuizen | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Jason Day | 5&4 |
| 30 | Bill Haas | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Jason Day | 5&4 |
| 54 | Chris Kirk | 2&1 | | | | | | |
| 54 | Chris Kirk | 2&1 | 54 | Chris Kirk | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Rory McIlroy | 4&3 | | | |
| 3 | Rory McIlroy | 1up | 3 | Rory McIlroy | 4&3 | | | |
| 14 | Zach Johnson | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Zach Johnson | | | | | 3 | Rory McIlroy | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Jason Day | 1up |
| 28 | Matt Kuchar | | | | | 2 | Jason Day | 1up | | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| 18 | Brooks Koepka | 1up | | | | | | |
| 18 | Brooks Koepka | 1up | 18 | Brooks Koepka | | | | | | 3 | Rory McIlroy | |
| | | | 2 | Jason Day | 3&2 | | | | | 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | 3&2 |
| 2 | Jason Day | 3&2 | 2 | Jason Day | 3&2 | | | | | 52 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | 3&2 |
| 15 | Brandt Snedeker | | | | | | | |
Notes: Round of 16
There were three upsets: #1 Jordan Spieth lost to #16 Louis Oosthuizen, 4 & 2; #52 Rafa Cabrera-Bello won when #27 An Byeong-hun conceded the match after 12 holes due to a neck injury (Cabrera-Bello was leading 4 up); #54 Chris Kirk defeated #30 Bill Haas, 2 & 1. Three of the top-8 seeds remained. Spieth's loss means that Day regains the world number one position.
Quarterfinals
There were two upsets: #16 Oosthuizen defeated #8 Dustin Johnson, 2 & 1, and #52 Cabrera-Bello defeated #45 Ryan Moore, 2 & 1. None of the 11 Americans in the round of 16 made the semifinals.

## Prize money breakdown

| Place | Description | US ($) |
| 1 | Champion | 1,620,000 |
| 2 | Runner-up | 1,180,000 |
| 3 | Third place | 660,000 |
| 4 | Fourth place | 530,000 |
| T5 | Losing quarter-finalists x 4 | 290,000 |
| T9 | Losing round of 16 x 8 | 152,000 |
| 17 | Those with 2.5 points in pool play x 1 | 112,000 |
| T18 | Those with 2 points in pool play x 10 | 90,900 |
| T28 | Those with 1.5 points in pool play x 10 | 74,500 |
| T38 | Those with 1 point in pool play x 13 | 63,000 |
| T51 | Those with 0.5 points in pool play x 10 | 52,000 |
| T61 | Those with 0 points in pool play x 4 | 47,750 |
| | Total | 9,500,000 |
* Source: