25 March 2019, by: BET Editor

WGC DELL MATCHPLAY – ENGLISH PAIR AND OOSTHUIZEN APPEAL

The WGC-Dell Tech Match Play has delivered some appetising groups but instead of backing the favourites, two Englishmen should be considered for glory.

If the thought of backing two Englishmen didn’t put you off entirely and you’re still reading, then good. Let’s get going.

Austin Country Club retains its place as the host of what is usually a high-quality event with birdies the order of the day. It can favour the big-hitters (hello Dustin and Rory) but also has plenty of value for those with match play grit and course management especially if the wind picks up.

The draw has been terribly unkind to the South Africa trio – Justin Harding makes his debut but has been handed McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick and Luke List. The latter pair won’t scare the in-form Saffa too much but it’s hard to fathom any scenario in which McIlroy doesn’t escape the group.

It gets harder for him from there but let’s pause that for now.

Branden Grace doesn’t have a great record in this event even if he does boast a good tally in Presidents Cup outings. A missed cut last week and a group that includes world number one and form horse Dustin Johnson plus the enigmatic Hideki Matsuyama could see his week being another short one.

That leaves Louis Oosthuizen. Second to Paul Casey but struggling tee to green all week. King Louis has Tommy Fleetwood as his main concern. The pair meet last which means Louis must be 100% before then. Standing in the way Kyle Stanley and Byeong-An. A blockbuster awaits then on Friday.

If Oosthuizen does prevail, it gets so much harder. Marc Leishman and Bryson DeChambeau the likely next match with the likes of Ian Poulter, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau and Alex Noren all set for a run towards the quarters.

Any signs of the struggles of last week and Oosthuizen will be dumped rather quickly. His indifferent form of late – he’s either great or terrible – has to bring in too many doubts about his ability to go the distance.

That’s all three Saffas done then by at best the first knockout round.

The left side of the draw features DJ, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Tiger, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson and McIlroy.

It makes choosing who advances to the last four from that section almost impossible and that’s why it’s good to look to the right half of the draw. And now for the bonus, Ian Poulter is listed at 40/1 and last week’s winner Paul Casey at 26/1.

Juicy.

Casey enters on the back of a win and good record in match play. His group is “easy” and his knockout round should be against Francesco Molinari, who is a little competition shy. The big test will be a last 8 clash against Justin Rose. Get past that and he’s going for back to back wins.

That’s the top of the right half of the draw – you following still?
The bottom half includes Ian Poulter. He has a tricky but not imposing group with Tony Finau and Kevin Kisner, the man who knocked out the Postman in the quarters last year. He should progress and then take care of Noren/Koepka.

It’s there that Poulter could break Oosthuizen’s heart en route to a semi-final against countryman Casey (or Rose).

The winner… plays well anyone from the left side of the draw and could benefit from a tough but not impossible run through the event.

Everything is bigger and better in Texas. And with the English pair offering such attractive odds, come Sunday your bank balance could be just as big.

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