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WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play: Breaking Down the Groups

By Richie Randolph

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 25: Bubba Watson of the United States celebrates with the Walter Hagen Cup after winning the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 25, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 25: Bubba Watson of the United States celebrates with the Walter Hagen Cup after winning the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 25, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Francesco Molinari Arnold Palmer Invitational
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 10: Francesco Molinari of Italy poses with the trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard at the Bay Hill Club on March 10, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Luckiest Player: Francesco Molinari

Francesco Molinari, the Italian who destroyed America at the 2018 Ryder Cup, has to be licking his chops with this draw. The Arnold Palmer Invitational winner has to battle Webb Simpson, who is 31st in Total Strokes Gained on the PGA Tour this season. Simpson does have two top-10 finishes in 8 starts this season but just missed the cut at last weeks’ Valspar Championship.

Webb has not found success at Austin Country Club either; he did not advance from the Group Stage in either 2017 or 2018 and his total record is 1-1-4.

Simpson is by far the biggest threat to Molinari, though, as Thorbjorn Olesen and Satoshi Kodaira round out this group. Olesen has one Top-10 in his past five starts and ranks 31st on the European Tour in 2019 Scoring Average, while Kodaira has found no success on the PGA Tour this season.

To say Satoshi has struggled is an understatement; he has recorded only one Top-25 finish in his thirteen 2018-19 PGA Tour starts and ranks 205th in Total Strokes Gained this season.

Between his recent form and the lack of firepower in his group Francesco has to feel confident in his ability to advance to the Round of 16. The old question is whether it’s better to be lucky or good. In this particular draw, it looks like Francesco Molinari is both.

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