2023 WGC-Dell Match Play Bracket Breakdown and Picks

Rory sent packing early at WGC-Dell Match Play?

Group 3

Rory McIlroy (3) – Keegan Bradley (20) – Denny McCarthy (48) – Scott Stallings (52)

Pick: Denny McCarthy

This group sets up quite well for Rory McIlroy on paper with one player who is making his WGC-Dell Match Play debut, another who has never played in this event at Austin Country Club, and a second seed in Keegan Bradley who has an uninspiring 0-6-3 record here.

In a group that is relatively wide open, it’s Denny McCarthy, with three top 20s in three of his last four starts, who gets hot with the putter and shocks Rory in his Match Play debut.

Group 4

Patrick Cantlay (4) – Brian Harman (25) – K.H. Lee (35) – Nick Taylor (55)

Pick: K.H. Lee

Despite a fantastic record for the United States on the international stage, Patrick Cantlay has been pretty unlucky in his previous appearances at Austin Country Club. He has played in each of the last four WGC-Dell Match Play events here and exited the competition at the group stage in each one.

Cantlay meets a familiar foe in Brian Harman yet again in this competition, Harman edged out Cantlay in 2021 during a sudden-death playoff to top the group.

Patrick Cantlay’s unlucky spell in this event continues once again, only this time it’s not Brian Harman who goes through to the last 16, it’s underdog K.H. Lee who rides the momentum from a 2-1-0 showing at last year’s Presidents Cup into the ‘sweet 16’.

Group 5

Max Homa (5) – Hideki Matsuyama (18) – Kevin Kisner (42) – Justin Suh (63)

Pick: Kevin Kisner

This could both be the most surprising result of this week or the least surprising depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, Kevin Kisner’s phenomenal Match Play history overall and at Austin Country Club continues and he marches on, on the other hand, his dreadful recent form of just one made cut in five starts continues to plague him.

History wins the day and Kisner reaches the knockout round once again at the WGC-Dell Match Play.