Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau all feature at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play; Rory McIlroy in Group 11 as he chases a first worldwide win since 2019 - watch live on Sky Sports Golf
Wednesday 24 March 2021 12:46, UK
Rory McIlroy will begin his bid for a second WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play title by taking on European Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter on Wednesday.
McIlroy, who defeated Gary Woodland in the final of the 2015 contest, headlines Group 13 of the initial round-robin league format alongside Poulter, Masters runner-up Cameron Smith and American Lanto Griffin.
World No 1 Dustin Johnson opens against debutant Adam Long, with Scotland's Robert MacIntyre also in that group in his maiden appearance and Kevin Na completing that quartet, while Tommy Fleetwood has been put in the same league as US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
Justin Thomas, winner of The Players earlier this month, has been handed a tough draw against defending champion Kevin Kisner, 2019 runner-up Matt Kuchar and former finalist Louis Oosthuizen, with Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry in the same group as world No 3 Jon Rahm.
Reigning PGA champion Collin Morikawa is the top seed in an all-American Group Five with Billy Horschel, Max Homa and JT Poston, with former Masters champions Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson set to go head to head on the opening day in Group Seven.
Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia are part of an all-European quartet in Group Eight that is headlined by Tyrrell Hatton, the current leader in the Ryder Cup qualification standings, while Matt Fitzpatrick has been given a tough opening fixture in Group 15 against three-time major winner Jordan Spieth.
The round-robin format sees each player play everybody in their group once over the first three days, with the winner of all 16 groups then progressing into the knockout stages over the weekend.
Full draw (seed in brackets)
Group One - Dustin Johnson (1), Kevin Na (28), Robert MacIntyre (41), Adam Long (61)
Group Two - Justin Thomas (2), Louis Oosthuizen (22), Kevin Kisner (34), Matt Kuchar (52)
Group Three - Jon Rahm (3), Ryan Palmer (24), Shane Lowry (38), Sebastian Munoz (50)
Group Four - Collin Morikawa (4), Billy Horschel (32), Max Homa (35), JT Poston (63)
Group Five - Bryson DeChambeau (5), Tommy Fleetwood (21), Si Woo Kim (45), Antoine Rozner (58)
Group Six - Xander Schauffele (6), Scottie Scheffler (30), Jason Day (44), Andy Sullivan (57)
Group Seven - Patrick Reed (7), Joaquin Niemann (26), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (33), Bubba Watson (55)
Group Eight - Tyrrell Hatton (8), Lee Westwood (18), Sergio Garcia (39), Matt Wallace (51)
Group Nine - Webb Simpson (9), Paul Casey (17), Mackenzie Hughes (48), Talor Gooch (59)
Group 10 - Patrick Cantlay (10), Hideki Matsuyama (23), Carlos Ortiz (42), Brian Harman (54)
Group 11 - Rory McIlroy (11), Cameron Smith (25), Lanto Griffin (46), Ian Poulter (60)
Group 12 - Tony Finau (12), Jason Kokrak (29), Will Zalatoris (40), Dylan Frittelli (64)
Group 13 - Viktor Hovland (13), Abraham Ancer (27), Bernd Wiesberger (43), Kevin Streelman (53)
Group 14 - Daniel Berger (14), Harris English (19), Brendon Todd (47), Erik van Rooyen (62)
Group 15 - Matt Fitzpatrick (15), Matthew Wolff (20), Corey Conners (37), Jordan Spieth (49)
Group 16 - Sungjae Im (16), Victor Perez (31), Marc Leishman (36), Russell Henley (5)
Watch the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Wednesday from 3pm on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.
