2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Round of 16 & Quarterfinals Odds, Picks and Preview
- The group stage of the The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is complete through three days
- The sweet 16 of golfers remain vying for the prestigious title in single elimination play
- See the best bets and odds for golfers to win the title in the article below
Three days of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is in the books and just like its March Madness basketball counterpart, this week many people’s brackets have been busted. Remarkably, Jon Rahm remains the only top-16 seed in the 64-man field to make it through the group stage into Saturday’s round of 16, and he’s now the favorite to win the tournament.
The group stage was extremely close, with a record number eight of the 16 groups needing to be decided in extra holes. As the action shifts to Saturday morning, round robin play is over and it’s single elimination matches throughout the rest of the weekend with the quarter-finals Saturday afternoon following the eight morning matches.
In this article, we’ll explore which players have the best chance of advancing in play en route to the final to win one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.
See the odds below from DraftKings.
2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Odds
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jon Rahm | +450 |
| Jordan Spieth | +650 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +800 |
| Sergio Garcia | +900 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +1200 |
| Brian Harman | +1200 |
| Billy Horschel | +1400 |
| Ian Poulter | +1400 |
| Bubba Watson | +1600 |
| Matt Kuchar | +1600 |
| Victor Perez | +2000 |
| Robert Macintyre | +2000 |
| Dylan Frittelli | +2200 |
| Kevin Streelman | +2200 |
| Erik van Rooyen | +2500 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | +2500 |
All odds as of March 26th
Big Names Exiting Early
Not many people would’ve expected so many of the titans of the sport to fail to make it out of the group stage, but the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa didn’t even advance to a playoff on Friday. Jon Rahm survived a two-hole playoff with Ryan Palmer to advance through a wild first three days.
Seeds of players to advance to round of 16
Top-20: 1
50th or lower: 7— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 27, 2021
Saturday Morning Sweet Sixteen Match Odds
| First Pairing | Match Odds |
|---|---|
| Tommy Fleetwood (#21) | -134 |
| Dylan Frittelli (#64) | +105 |
| Second Pairing | Match Odds |
| Billy Horschel (#32) | -134 |
| Kevin Streelman (#53) | +105 |
| Third Pairing | Match Odds |
| Sergio Garcia (#39) | -159 |
| Mackenzie Hughes (#48) | +125 |
| Fourth Pairing | Match Odds |
| Victor Perez (#31) | -114 |
| Robert Macintyre (#41) | -114 |
| Fifth Pairing | Match Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler (#30) | -143 |
| Ian Poulter (#60) | +110 |
| Sixth Pairing | Match Odds |
| Jon Rahm (#3) | -250 |
| Erik van Rooyen (#62) | +188 |
| Seventh Pairing | Match Odds |
| Brian Harman (#54) | -143 |
| Bubba Watson (#55) | +110 |
| Eighth Pairing | Match Odds |
| Jordan Spieth (#49) | -150 |
| Matt Kuchar (#52) | +115 |
Jon Rahm In Driver’s Seat For Championship Run
In 2017, Jon Rahm made a sensational run all the way to the finals of this championship, only to fall in the last match to Dustin Johnson. After making in through the group stage, he won’t be facing a murderers row in his route to the final – however, his side of the bracket features three past champions in Bubba Watson (2018), Matt Kuchar (2013) and Ian Poulter (2010).
No. 3 seed Jon Rahm is the only top seed from the 16 groups to advance @DellMatchPlay
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 27, 2021
Rahm has been battled tested this week, winning his first two matches 1 and 2 up, then tying Ryan Palmer before beating him in a playoff. He’s up against #62nd ranked Erik van Rooyen, who hasn’t had anything better than a T-37 in seven starts in 2021. This has been a wild and unpredictable week thus far, but the fiery Spaniard should be able to get past him.
The main concern for Rahm is that he’s up against a much more challenging side of the bracket than the one headed by Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia. With his talent unmatched and having far fewer titans to go through, however, at +450 he’s still good value to emerge victorious.
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Last Five Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Kevin Kisner def. Matt Kuchar |
| 2018 | Bubba Watson def. Kevin Kisner |
| 2017 | Dustin Johnson def. Jon Rahm |
| 2016 | Jason Day def. Louis Oosthuizen |
| 2015 | Rory McIlroy def. Gary Woodland |
*The 2020 tournament was not contested due to COVID-19 shutdown
Best Live Value Picks for WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
- Ian Poulter (+1400): Though he often doesn’t contend week in and week out in stroke play events, a flip is switched in match play that brings out the best in Ian Poulter. Matched Tiger Woods with his eight career time in the round of 16. Won in 2010, and with his steely eyed demeanor that has ruined many American dreams in the Ryder Cup, he has the moxy to get it done, starting with Scottie Scheffler Saturday.
- Bubba Watson (+1600): If you laid a pre-event wager on Bubba you’d be sitting pretty as he was a +9500 underdog. Won this championship in 2018, so he clearly loves this course. Like Poulter, he blows hot and cold but has had success in match play. His odds are a bit higher because he’s on the Rahm side of the bracket, which is more challenging.
This article contains links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
