The World Golf Championship Match Play was first held in 1999. Until 2006, the tournament was hosted in Southern California, with the parenthesis of 2001, when the venue was that of the Metropolitan Golf Club of Melbourne.
In 2007 the Arizona cycle opened, where the pros crossed clubs on the wonderful course of The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana (I confess, it was my favorite). After another move to California, and more precisely to TPC Harding Park, in 2015, the WGC moved to its current headquarters, the Austin Country Club, also taking on Dell Inc.
as title sponsor. Well, according to what reported by Golfweek, the 2023 edition, which will be held from 22 to 26 March, will be the last. Not just for the Austin Country Club, but for the PGA Tour as well.
WGC Dell Match Play, schedule
In the 2024 calendar, the place traditionally occupied by Match Play, at the end of March, at the end of the Florida Swing tournaments will be occupied by the Cadence Bank Houston Open.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour released a statement: “As we lead the activities associated with all the structural changes to the 2024 PGA Tour calendar, there are several discussions regarding the future of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play” “We are currently focused on creating the 2023 edition, to guarantee fans an unforgettable experience” “We expect to communicate details on the future of the tournament as they become available.” Kevin Streelman, a member of the Player Advisory Council, said on the sidelines of the meeting held on the occasion of the Farmers Insurance Open, that everything would be linked to a problem with sponsors.
However, well-informed sources say that the cause of this situation is a rift between the PGA Tour and the Austin Country Club. About four months ago, the PGA Tour allegedly submitted the proposal for 2024 to the Board of the Texan club, which was decisively rejected, with the simultaneous request for an increase, defined as “exorbitant”, in the fee for occupying the field and the number of free tickets for club members.
All this led to a confrontation that was not resolved even a few weeks ago, when the Austin Country Club, retracing its steps, had decided to accept the original proposal of the Tour. The upper echelons in Ponte Vedra Beach have reportedly told staff in Austin to “start packing.” It is a very sad situation.
