The Austin Country Club is set to host 64 of the world's top 69 players, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy for the the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play; Watch live on Wednesday from 3pm on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday 20 March 2021 16:15, UK
The field has been set for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas among the standout names set to feature.
McIlroy has played every edition of the tournament since making his debut in the 2009 contest, with victory over Gary Woodland in the 2015 final one of four top-five finishes at the World Golf Championship event.
The four-time major champion had already committed to teeing it up at Austin Country Club next week as part of a star-studded field, although hinted after his missed cut at The Players Championship earlier this month that he may skip the WGC to work on his game ahead of The Masters.
The Northern Irishman's entry was confirmed when the tournament field was announced on Friday evening, with 64 of the world's top 69 - including all of the world's top 10 - currently scheduled to tee it up in Texas.
McIlroy's early exit from TPC Sawgrass last week was his second missed cut in four starts on the PGA Tour, with the former world No 1 admitting that trying to emulate DeChambeau's power hitting had been "detrimental" to his game in recent months.
The 31-year-old has top-25 finishes in 11 of his last 13 worldwide starts but is without a victory since the WGC-HSBC Champions in November 2019, with the Match Play set to be McIlroy's final start before his latest bid to complete golf's career Grand Slam next month at Augusta National.
The tournament sees players compete in round-robin groups over the first three days, with each of the 16 group winners then progressing through to the knockout stages over the weekend.
Kevin Kisner is defending champion after defeating Matt Kuchar 3&2 in the final of the 2019 contest, where McIlroy suffered a last-16 exit against Tiger Woods, while last year's contest was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Brooks Koepka and past finalist Woodland are among the five eligible players who aren't going to feature, with Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods - recovering from his recent car crash - the others not taking part.
Watch the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Wednesday March 24 with Featured Groups live from 3pm on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.
