This Wednesday marks the start of the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, a different type of tournament to all other tournaments pro golfers play throughout the season. It’s another format. One-on-one.
Even a poorly played game can win, and a great round of golf can lose. The only factor that matters is to make one shot less than the golfer ahead of you.
Jon Rahm is like a fish in water in this format. He likes it, and he enjoys it. It’s competition at its finest, and utmost expression. Not only does it depend on your own abilities, but also on the skills of the opponent who’s ahead of you. You must be able to play under pressure, both you and your opponent. Rahm thrives in this type of atmosphere, in this head-to-head mental battle.
As you already know, the tournament is made up of predetermined groups. Jon landed in group 3, with Juan Sebastián Muñoz, Ryan Palmer and Shane Lowry. The golfer who accumulates the most points will make it to the round of 16, up against the group leader, Daniel Berger. Rahm is in the quadrant with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, which means, for example, that he’d only go head-to-head with Dustin Johnson in a hypothetical finale.
Jon will play in his first game this Wednesday with Colombian golfer, Muñoz. The second will be with Lowry, and he’ll finish off the last phase of the group with his good friend, Ryan Palmer, with whom he won the Zurich Classic in teams.