Tour News
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship could be in line for venue change
There’s no denying the importance of match play to the game of golf’s rich history. Golfers of every level, from amateur to professional, have played a match against another golfer and have a tale to tell. That’s one reason the World Golf Championships created its match play event in 1999.
Despite the popularity of the match-play format, is it possible that it no longer works for the world’s best players as a stand-alone event?
The biggest sign that an event like the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship may no longer be viable is the situation with the tournament’s sponsor. As the event’s only sponsor since its inception, Accenture — a global financial management company — has finally pulled the plug. That means, should the event continue, big changes are on the way that could include a new venue and dates.
As the only match play event on the PGA Tour schedule, you would assume that players and fans would flock to it. That hasn’t been the case, as television audiences have declined and many of the world’s top players have opted to skip the event.
This week, three of the top 64 players to qualify will be absent: Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson.
With only 64 players in the field and a $9 million purse, the WGC Accenture Match Play is a guaranteed paycheck for the professionals who qualify to play. So what would make three of the world’s best skip? For some, it’s scheduling as the event bridges the West Coast and Florida tour swings. For others, it’s simply the venue.
Last year’s Masters champion and world No. 2 Scott is not returning to the match play simply because he doesn’t enjoy playing at Dove Mountain. He said, however, that he would “absolutely” consider a return if the event found a new venue. Before moving to Dove Mountain in 2009, Carlsbad, California’s La Costa Resort hosted the event.
Recent speculation has the event moving to San Francisco’s Harding Park Golf Club, host of the 2009 President’s Cup. It’s a course Tour players rank high on their wish list of tournament venues; it’s also a layout with dramatic finishing holes for matches coming down to the wire.
For now, Tour and WGC officials have been quiet on the future of the event. However, it’s clear that they’ll need to do something to keep golfers like Woods and Mickelson engaged and interested in playing. In the end, that alone could draw more viewers to their television over the course of the five-day event.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludvig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Sam Burns – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Stephen Jaeger – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
GolfWRX is on site this week at the Valero Texas Open.
The event has been around since 1922, making it one of the oldest on the PGA Tour calendar. Over the years, it’s been held at a variety of courses across the Lone Star State, but it’s found its home at TPC San Antonio in recent years. Some of the biggest names in golf have taken home the title here, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw.
GolfWRX has its usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs and special pull-out albums. As always, we’ll continue to update the links below as more photos come in from TPC San Antonio.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Ben Taylor – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Paul Barjon – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Joe Sullivan – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Wilson Furr – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Willman – SoTex PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Jimmy Stanger – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Rickie Fowler – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Harrison Endycott – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Vince Whaley – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Kevin Chappell – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Christian Bezuidenhout – WITB (mini) – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Scott Gutschewski – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
Pullout Albums
- Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Taylor with new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Swag cover – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Greyson Sigg’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Davis Riley’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Josh Teater’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hzrdus T1100 is back – – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Mark Hubbard testing ported Titleist irons – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Tyson Alexander testing new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hideki Matsuyama’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Cobra putters – 2024 Valero Texas Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.
As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.
General Albums
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Thorbjorn Olesen – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ben Silverman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jesse Droemer – SoTX PGA Section POY – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Martin Trainer – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Zac Blair – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jacob Bridgeman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Trace Crowe – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Daniel Berger – WITB(very mini) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Chesson Hadley – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Callum McNeill – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Rhein Gibson – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Patrick Fishburn – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Raul Pereda – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Pullout Albums
- Tom Hoge’s custom Cameron – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Piretti putters – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ping putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Kevin Dougherty’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Bettinardi putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Tony Finau’s new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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JDB
Feb 21, 2014 at 5:39 am
How about Wolf Creek…. Looks like a fun course for the pros and it might make match play even better. I watch it now but Wolf Creek’s layout would draw the big names and sponsers
Ei
Feb 20, 2014 at 1:50 am
They should move it to the LA/Palm Springs/San Diego area, or Florida, and get it out of the no man’s land of Arizona. Dove Mountain is so far and away from anything attractive or interesting, it’s literally in the middle of nowhere. Europeans and other world players go there and wonder where in the heck they are. And hardly any crowd shows up to see it so the event makes no money that way, even though there’s 64 really good players showing up to play. At least on the West Coast they would get some sort of a crowd. That’s the mistake they made with putting that event in the middle of nowhere. Florida would probably be a good bet for the future, it would be much closer for 90% of the guys in the event (including the Europe-based players), and a good kick start to the Florida swing.
MFB
Feb 20, 2014 at 9:23 am
Obviously you have no idea of what you are talking about.
Ei
Feb 21, 2014 at 12:53 am
Obviously I do, otherwise they wouldn’t consider moving it.
Brian
Feb 19, 2014 at 6:38 pm
The main reason they are complaining is because the tour had to play in conditions us normal golfers had to encounter: 40s with wind. I also agree with the point it’s a waste of time for some players to play 16 holes and be sent home right away.
Too bad though, it’s nice to see something other than stroke play
Aaron
Feb 19, 2014 at 2:45 pm
I like to see these guys challenged with a different format. It makes every hole a grind vs. a bunch of meaningless holes on Thurs. and Fri.
Mat
Feb 19, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Tucson should continue to host a high profile event. What is baffling is the format is ALL bracket! Play a field for Two rounds on Wed & Thu, qualifying the top 16 for match play over F, S, Sun.
Or cut half the field after two, half on Friday, half on Saturday, then play the remaining 8 on Sunday with a 9-hole match play. It would be awesome tv.
Worst part about the current format is so many one-and-out. No one has time to watch the head to head of 32 matches. It’s just too many in the opening rounds.
Rob
Feb 19, 2014 at 1:02 pm
That’s a great point. Maybe more guys like Mickelson and Woods would play if they knew it would be guaranteed action for more than one day. The current format stinks for tv.
Paul
Feb 19, 2014 at 11:19 am
How about a wgc event that actually travels the world ??
mick
Feb 19, 2014 at 12:06 pm
California counts as a different country
Ei
Feb 20, 2014 at 1:51 am
So does Texas :-p
mick
Feb 20, 2014 at 11:42 am
No argument here
MFB
Feb 20, 2014 at 9:26 am
Sorry but the American Players are not leaving the US in February to possibly play one round of golf.
And since the American PGA Tour is the number one tour it will stay in the US or just go away.
Rob
Feb 19, 2014 at 10:51 am
Harding Park would be a cool venue, but what about someplace closer to the Florida swing? TPC Sawgrass would be pretty awesome with matches coming down to 17 and 18.