Pro Golf Now
Fansided

WGC-Match Play: Making the predictions at Austin Country Club

By Mike Randleman

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 24: Kyle Stanley of the United States plays his shot from the 16th tee during the quarterfinal round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 24, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 24: Kyle Stanley of the United States plays his shot from the 16th tee during the quarterfinal round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 24, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 23: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 15th hole during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 23, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 23: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 15th hole during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 23, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Semifinals and The Finals

  • 1 Dustin Johnson vs. 4 Rory McIlroy
    • They always say picking chalk is boring, but who wouldn’t take this semifinal matchup in a heartbeat? Rory couldn’t climb to world No. 1 in this scenario as he’ll need a win, DJ to lose before the semis and Justin Rose to finish outside the top three. Nonetheless, I’ll take the hottest player in the world in McIlroy to slay DJ. The shot tracers off the tee are going to be fun in this one.

    • 7 Francesco Molinari

    vs. 19 Louis Oosthuizen

    In the other not so flashy semifinal, I like Molinari to withstand the wind and keep his roll going against Oosthuizen who has had back issues in the past and may not be quite as sharp come Sunday. Molinari (24th) is also better on the greens than Oosthuizen (131st), though both have great short games.

    Next. Paul Casey masters the Snake Pit at the Valspar Championship. dark

    Final Round

    • 1 Dustin Johnson vs. 19 Louis Oosthuizen, Third Place
      • It’s still baffling why this match is even played, but alas we’ll have something else to monitor during the projected title match between Rory and Franky. DJ is clearly the better player, but I’m not sure if this potential Presidents Cup matchup with Louis will garner his interest.
    • 4 Rory McIlroy vs 7 Francesco Molinari, First Place
      • Two of the last three winners on the PGA Tour square off in an intriguing finals match. McIlroy saw Molinari steal the show Sunday at Bay Hill and Molinari also out-dueled him to win the 2018 BMA PGA Championship on the European Tour. McIlroy’s been a man on a mission lately and will be refreshed after taking a week off to celebrate his Players Championship win. McIlroy will have shorter clubs in his hands all day and will emerge from a tough path to the championship with a 1UP victory in 19 holes.
    Home/Golf Power Rankings