Match play
Encyclopedia
Match play is a scoring system for golf
in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play
, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In professional golf, a small number of notable tournaments use the match play scoring system.
A team that is leading by x holes with x holes remaining is said to be "dormie-x" or simply "dormie", meaning that they need one more halved hole to win the match (or that the other team must win all the remaining holes in order to halve the match). For example, if Player A is 2-up with 2 to play, he is dormie; the worst outcome for Player A at that point is a tie, unless the format calls for extra holes to determine a winner.
In a tournament event where the score is all square after the last hole, usually 18 or 36, the players will play on until a player wins a hole (sudden death). In the Ryder Cup
and other similar team events, the match is not finished this way, and the teams each receive a half point. In such events there are points accumulated over several days, playing different formats, and the total determines the winner.
In match play, Player A would play as "scratch" (zero handicap) and Player B would get one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes. In other words, the 10 handicap becomes zero and the 19 handicap becomes nine.
In team match play competition, where Team A consists of Player A1 (a -10 handicap), and Player A2 (a -15 handicap) and where Team B consists of Player B1 (a -19 handicap) and Player B2 (a -30 handicap), Player A1 plays as "scratch"; A2 gets one stroke off his score on the five hardest holes; Player B1 gets one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes; and B2 will take 2 strokes off the two hardest holes and 1 stroke off the other 16. However, the USGA does not restrict the handicap of the low partner but some local clubs and organized tournaments do. That is, in team play, if no player can have a handicap more than 8 strokes higher than his partner, B2 would play as if his or her handicap were -27 (high partner's handicap of 19 + 8 = 27).
played by two teams, one representing the USA
and the other representing Europe
; the biennial Presidents Cup
for teams representing the USA and International (non-European) players; the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
; and the older Volvo World Match Play Championship, an invitational event which is now part of the European Tour. Formerly, the PGA Championship
, one of the majors
, used match play, but it changed to a stroke play event in 1958.
Women's professional golf had no event directly comparable to the Accenture Championship until the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
was introduced in 2005. After it was canceled in 2007, the LPGA was without a match play event until the Sybase Match Play Championship
was started in 2010. Women's golf also has the biennial Solheim Cup
staged between two teams, one including USA
-born players and one including players born in Europe. From 2005 to 2008, women's golf held the Lexus Cup
, an event pitting an International Team against an Asian Team. The U.S. Amateur Championships for both men and women are conducted with two rounds of stroke play to cut the field to 64, and then proceed to a single-elimination match play tournament. All elimination matches are 18 holes except for the final, which is 36 holes.
is not usually good enough to win a hole. Since a very poor result for a hole is no worse than a slightly-below-average result when playing against an opponent with an average score, it often makes sense to accept the higher risk connected with aggressive tactics. However, in some circumstances players will be especially cautious in match play. For instance, a player may choose to play more conservatively if the opponent has hit a poor tee shot or is otherwise under pressure to compensate a poor start on a particular hole, reasoning that there is a good chance to win the hole with an average result.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play
Stroke play
Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf. It involves counting the total number of strokes taken on each hole during a given round, or series of rounds...
, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In professional golf, a small number of notable tournaments use the match play scoring system.
Scoring system
Unlike stroke play, in which the unit of scoring is the total number of strokes taken over one or more rounds of golf, match play scoring consists of individual holes won, halved or lost. On each hole, the most that can be gained is one point. Golfers play as normal, counting the strokes taken on a given hole. The golfer with the lowest score on a given hole receives one point. If the golfers tie, then the hole is halved, e.g. in an 18-hole match, the first hole is a par-4 and Player A scores a 3 (birdie) and Player B scores a 4 (par); Player A is now 1-up with 17 to play. In the same match on the second hole, a par-5, Player A takes 8 strokes and Player B takes 5 (par); Player B wins the hole and the match is now "all square" with 16 to play. On the third hole, a par-3, both players take 3 strokes and the match is all square with 15 holes to play. Once a player is "up" more holes than there are holes remaining to play the match is over. For example, if after 12 holes Player A is 7-up with six left to play, Player A is said to have won the match "7 and 6".A team that is leading by x holes with x holes remaining is said to be "dormie-x" or simply "dormie", meaning that they need one more halved hole to win the match (or that the other team must win all the remaining holes in order to halve the match). For example, if Player A is 2-up with 2 to play, he is dormie; the worst outcome for Player A at that point is a tie, unless the format calls for extra holes to determine a winner.
In a tournament event where the score is all square after the last hole, usually 18 or 36, the players will play on until a player wins a hole (sudden death). In the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
and other similar team events, the match is not finished this way, and the teams each receive a half point. In such events there are points accumulated over several days, playing different formats, and the total determines the winner.
Scoring using handicaps
Scoring match play using handicaps is not done exactly the same way it is done in a stroke play event. In 18-hole stroke play where Player A is a -10 handicap and Player B is a -19 handicap, Player A gets one stroke off his score on the ten hardest holes (by handicap rating on scorecard); Player B gets two strokes off his score on the hardest hole and one stroke off on the other 17.In match play, Player A would play as "scratch" (zero handicap) and Player B would get one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes. In other words, the 10 handicap becomes zero and the 19 handicap becomes nine.
In team match play competition, where Team A consists of Player A1 (a -10 handicap), and Player A2 (a -15 handicap) and where Team B consists of Player B1 (a -19 handicap) and Player B2 (a -30 handicap), Player A1 plays as "scratch"; A2 gets one stroke off his score on the five hardest holes; Player B1 gets one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes; and B2 will take 2 strokes off the two hardest holes and 1 stroke off the other 16. However, the USGA does not restrict the handicap of the low partner but some local clubs and organized tournaments do. That is, in team play, if no player can have a handicap more than 8 strokes higher than his partner, B2 would play as if his or her handicap were -27 (high partner's handicap of 19 + 8 = 27).
Tournaments featuring match play
Currently, there are few professional tournaments that use match play. They include the biennial Ryder CupRyder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
played by two teams, one representing the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the other representing Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; the biennial Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
for teams representing the USA and International (non-European) players; the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year...
; and the older Volvo World Match Play Championship, an invitational event which is now part of the European Tour. Formerly, the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, one of the majors
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
, used match play, but it changed to a stroke play event in 1958.
Women's professional golf had no event directly comparable to the Accenture Championship until the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
The HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship was an LPGA Tour golf tournament that was played from 2005 through 2007. It was first played from June 30 to July 3, 2005 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey...
was introduced in 2005. After it was canceled in 2007, the LPGA was without a match play event until the Sybase Match Play Championship
Sybase Match Play Championship
The Sybase Match Play Championship is professional golf tournament played on the LPGA Tour since 2010. The tournament takes place at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey...
was started in 2010. Women's golf also has the biennial Solheim Cup
Solheim Cup
The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation.The inaugural Cup was held in 1990,...
staged between two teams, one including USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born players and one including players born in Europe. From 2005 to 2008, women's golf held the Lexus Cup
Lexus Cup
The Lexus Cup was an annual golf tournament played between 2005 and 2008 for professional women golfers contested by a team representing Asia and an international team representing the rest of the world. It was sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, but any winnings were unofficial and were not included in...
, an event pitting an International Team against an Asian Team. The U.S. Amateur Championships for both men and women are conducted with two rounds of stroke play to cut the field to 64, and then proceed to a single-elimination match play tournament. All elimination matches are 18 holes except for the final, which is 36 holes.
Strategy
Golfers can employ a slightly different strategy during a match play event since the scoring is different. The situation in the match and the outcome of each shot already played on a hole will both be taken into account. On the whole match play encourages more aggressive play, especially at the professional level, where a parPar (score)
The word "par" is a term in the game of golf used to denote the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, a round , or a tournament...
is not usually good enough to win a hole. Since a very poor result for a hole is no worse than a slightly-below-average result when playing against an opponent with an average score, it often makes sense to accept the higher risk connected with aggressive tactics. However, in some circumstances players will be especially cautious in match play. For instance, a player may choose to play more conservatively if the opponent has hit a poor tee shot or is otherwise under pressure to compensate a poor start on a particular hole, reasoning that there is a good chance to win the hole with an average result.