The 2021 WGC Match Play is the next stop on the road to next month’s Masters Tournament. The PGA Tour’s last event saw Matt Jones winning the Honda Classic on March 21.
As it has since 2016, the WGC Match Play will be held at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas from Wednesday, March 24 to Sunday, March 28. It will be the first of its events in two years as last season’s tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19.
According to BetOnline, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas are the favorites to win in Austin this week. Their odds entering the tournament both stand at +1200.
Odds to win 2021 WGC Match Play
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, March 22
- Bryson DeChambeau +1200
- Justin Thomas +1200
- Dustin Johnson +1400
- Jon Rahm +1400
- Collin Morikawa +1800
- Jordan Spieth +2000
- Rory McIlroy +2000
- Patrick Reed +2500
- Xander Schauffele +2500
- Daniel Berger +2800
- Patrick Cantlay +2800
- Paul Casey +2800
- Sungjae Im +2800
- Tony Finau +2800
- Viktor Hovland +2800
DeChambeau, Thomas Sit on Top of Odds List
When it comes to the 2021 PGA Season, not many golfers have been playing better than Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. Both men are first and second respectively in the FedEx Cup standings. DeChambeau has won this season’s U.S. Open and Arnold Palmer Invitational, while also having five top-10 finishes in eight events. Meanwhile, Thomas won the 2021 Players Championship on March 14 and also has five top-10 finishes.
At the 2019 WGC Match Play, both DeChambeau and Thomas finished second-place in their groups, failing to make it to the Final 16.
Kevin Kisner a Long Shot to Win WGC Match Play Again
Kevin Kisner has performed well at the last two WGC Match Play tournaments. In 2018, he was the runner-up to Bubba Watson. However, in 2019, Kisner rebounded from that performance, beating Matt Kuchar in the finals to win the championship. Now, Kisner sits as a long shot to win this year’s event.
Entering the tournament, Kisner is +6600 on BetOnline to win it all. Unfortunately, that’s because Kisner hasn’t been playing well this season. Aside from a second-place finish at the RSM Classic, he’s finished 32nd or worse seven times in 10 events.
Johnson Looks for Momentum Heading into Masters
At +1400, Dustin Johnson has a realistic shot at winning the 2021 WGC Match Play. As BetOnline and Bovada’s favorite to win the 2021 Masters Tournament, Johnson is trying to gain as much momentum as he can heading into the event next month.
While Johnson won the 2020 Masters, he’s been cold as of late. He’s finished 54th and 48th in his last two events. However, something that does bode well for him is the fact that he won the 2017 event over Jon Rahm (+1400). Despite his recent performances, it’s never smart to count Johnson out. Look for him to make a statement with only two weeks left until the Masters.
Jason Day Could Be WGC Match Play Dark Horse
While Jason Day stands at +5000 to win the WGC Match Play, his tournament history may come back to help him. He’s a two-time tournament winner. Day won his first WGC Match Play in 2014 when the event was held in Dove Mountain, Arizona. He then won again in 2016 when the tournament first moved to Austin. It may have been a few years since those victories, but experience does count.
On the other hand, Day has only finished in the top-25 four times out of 13 events this season. To make matters worse, he’s been cut four times too. It’ll be interesting to see if Day’s experience helps him or if his best days in Austin are behind him.
