2022 WGC-Dell Match Play: Top 10 power rankings at Austin CC
Kevin Kisner is a grinder of a veteran player who benefits from the one-on-one nature of match play. He doesn’t have the explosive length needed to reel off wins and stick around in the top 10 in the world. With that said, he’s carved out a nice niche on the PGA Tour where he’s won thrice and has seven runner-ups.
One of the trophies came at the 2019 WGC-Dell Match Play, as you can see above. He needed three sudden-death playoff holes to get by Ian Poulter to win his group. From there, it was off to the races as Kisner won three of his four bracket matches by two holes or better, including a 3&2 victory over Matt Kuchar.
Kuchar avenged the loss in 2021 when he beat Kisner in a group play match at the WGC-Dell Match Play in a match that went on to decide the group. Kuchar went on to finish third, while Kisner was T-18th for OWGR purposes.
The two are not united again in 2022.
No. 29 seed Kisner’s top target in group play is No. 6, Justin Thomas.
JT played well at the Players and Valspar Championship, but I see him running out of fumes in a more flukey event than stroke play where he’s a top-10 machine.
Kisner will also meet No. 37 Marc Leishman and No. 53 Luke List. Leishman has won his group twice in five appearances at the WGC-Dell Match Play but has never made it to the quarterfinals. He won’t get that far as his form, which lacks a top-10 in a full-field event in 2022, is a little underwhelming.
List could be a trendy pick as he’s coming off his first career win earlier in the year at the Farmers Insurance Open. However, he has a pair of missed cuts and a withdrawal at the Players Championship recently and will be making his WGC-Dell Match Play debut.
Kisner contended at the Players taking solo fourth, which netted him the best finish among the late/early wave of tee times. Add that with a T-33rd at the Valspar and his match play accumen, and he’s my pick to get to the round of 16.
I see the run ending there. This is the 38-year-old’s fourth straight tournament in a row, and he’ll be out of gas by the time he meets No. 3, Viktor Hovland.