Dell Match Play Sweet 16 Predictions

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AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 25: Byeong-Hun An of South Korea plays his second shot on the first play-off hole with against Scott Piercy of the United States during the third round of the 2016 World Golf Championships Dell Match Play at The Austin Country Club on March 25, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) /

Byeong-Hun An has the stronger game in this match.

I’m not surprised to see Byeong-Hun An in the Sweet 16s – he’s quite a fine young golfer – but Rafa Cabrera Bello got into the bracket with some fancy golf and a bit of good luck.

An got off to a bit of a slow start, halving his match with Scott Piercy in the first round of group play. Then he began to pick up speed, winning over Jason Dufner 2 up and facing the formidable Rickie Fowler. He halved that match too.

An, who’s the 2009 US Amateur champion, brings only the 2016 EurAsia Cup match play experience to Austin and he’s delivering a remarkable game. Whether or not he’s eliminated at this stage – and I’m looking for him to win Saturday morning – we’ve only just begun to enjoy An’s golf.

In Rafa Cabrera Bello An will face an opponent who also has very limited match play experience. But like An, Bello faced down some much higher ranked players to get to the Sweet 16 bracket, starting with a 1 up win over Hideki Matsuyama. He followed that with a 4 and 3 win over Kevin Kisner and then halved his match against Soren Kjeldsen. It wasn’t a big display of power but it was enough to advance him.

I’m looking now for An to close out this match fairly quickly. He’s the better technical player and I think he has the stronger mental game. He’s a natural tactician.

Next: Reed v Johnson

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