Jon Rahm, in search of World Match Play

The golf planet lives from this Wednesday until next Sunday one of its most exciting tournaments. He World Match Play, one of the most exciting events on the PGA circuit, will crown the best in a face-to-face format next Sunday. He aspires to win the trophy Jon Rahm.

It will be a different World Match Play. A few days ago, the PGA announced that the tournament was off the calendar for the foreseeable future. With the Championship and the Invitational off the calendar and the pandemic destroying China’s HSBC Champions in recent times, everything points to This Match Play could also be the last World Cup as known to this day on the PGA circuit.

A total of sixty-four players, divided into sixteen groups of four, will face off in an event that will take place in Austin, as usual in recent days without the dissidents of LIV Golf but with the main stars of the PGA Tour. At number 1 in the world Scottie Scheffler, Rahm such as 2 and Rory McIlroy As number 3, the remaining players in a top 10 in the world will complete their presence with the only absences being Cameron Smith and Justin Thomas. Other important players want Collin Morikawa or Jordan Spieth They are also from the game. Scheffler made sure to keep his world number 1 after this tournament.

The standard format will be followed, with one-on-one best-of-eighteen-hole match. The first two in each quartet will advance from the first group stage, with the first day by appointment this Wednesday, the second on Thursday and the third on Friday. This will lead to the weekend playoffs, with the round of 16 and quarterfinals on Saturday on a double day and the semifinals and final on Sunday, also with a double shift.

He is seeking to be crowned for the first time in the event a rahm who already knew what to fight for him. He reached the final in 2017, losing only to Dustin Johnson. In the last two seasons, he managed to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence, only to lose in the quarterfinals in 2021 against Scheffler and in the round of 16 last year against Brooks Koepka.

Rahm, who this year is the only Spanish participant, will share in group 2 Billy Horschel, Keith Mitchell and Rickie Fowler. The one from Barrika starts this Wednesday in his first game against Fowler (5:54 pm Spanish peninsular time) with the aim of achieving the first victory that will put him in the hunt for that top2 that gives access to the playoffs. On Thursday he faces Keith Mitchell (16:26) and on Friday he closes the group stage against Billy Horschel (time to be determined).

World Match Play allows the battle between players to be reduced to one versus one, usually a great asset for Rahm. Therefore, he seeks to continue in Austin a sensational start to the year in which he adds three wins (Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express and The Genesis Invitational) and seven top10s in nine tournaments. In the end of them as Players, surely, have to retire after the first lap due to some stomach problems two weeks ago. Recovered, he seeks revenge in this new tournament.

In it, the list of candidates for success can be in favor of good format specialists. In addition to Rahm, they include the defending champion and world number 1 scottie scheffler, who will share in group 1 with Tom Kim, Alex Noren and Davis Riley. Other players who usually adapt in this tournament are Rory McIlroy (3rd seed and 3w group with Keegan Bradley, Denny McCarthy and Scott Stallings), Dustin Johnson, Kevin Kisner or Billy Horschel.

Beyond the high value of this tournament, it should be noted that it is also one of the last dates for most players before the Augustan Masters for two weeks. Among them, a Rahm who will rest next week to go to the fight for the ‘green jacket’ with full guarantee. For other players, meanwhile, this is their last option in qualifying for the first ‘major’ of the year.