Kisner, Johnson, Watson also return to Austin Country Club, March 23-27
AUSTIN, Texas – The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play announced today that four former champions – Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner, Dustin Johnson, and Bubba Watson – have committed to the match play event, returning to Austin Country Club, March 23-27, 2022.
On Sunday’s Championship Match in 2021, Horschel defeated UT graduate Scottie Scheffler, 2-and-1, to earn his sixth PGA TOUR victory. Horschel, the 2014 FedExCup Champion, took a 1-up lead against Scheffler after hole No. 7 and did not lose the lead for the remainder of the match, wrapping up the victory on the 17th hole with a par.
This season Horschel has collected four top-25 finishes in seven starts, highlighted by his recent tie for sixth at the WM Phoenix Open. He is currently ranked No. 22 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
“Having the defending champion of any professional golf tournament always adds another layer of excitement and we are thrilled Horschel will return to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play,” said Executive Director Jordan Uppleger.
“Billy put on a thrilling performance in 2021 that allowed everyone watching to experience an in-the-moment rivalry and healthy competition as we watched him outlast University of Texas graduate Scottie Scheffler. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Billy back alongside 63 of the other top-ranked players in the world.”
Kisner, a four-time PGA TOUR winner, will look to recapture his own match play magic at Austin Country Club. In 2019, Kisner holed a 20-foot birdie putt to close out Matt Kuchar, 3-and-2, to win the event, earning his then third PGA TOUR title and first World Golf Championships victory. Alongside the pair will also be past champions Johnson and Watson.
Johnson who is current World No. 9 and the 2017 champion of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, will make his 13thappearance at the event. Of Johnson’s 24 PGA TOUR titles, six have come in World Golf Championships events, the second-most all time behind Tiger Woods’ 18.
Watson’s 2018 victory marked his second World Golf Championships title in a 7-and-6 win over Kisner. The 12-tie PGA TOUR winner has experienced some success so far this season, recording two top-10 finishes in just six starts.
The long-awaited return of normal capacity at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is in part due to its annual status of hosting one of the strongest fields of the PGA TOUR season. In 2021, two-time FedExCup winner Rory McIlroy, 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka, 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas and 2015 FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth each competed in the event.
Only the top 64 players in the OWGR are invited to play in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, a strict qualification guideline that ensures the field in Austin annually consists of the very best players from around the world from all Tours.
Tickets remain on sale for the general public at dellmatchplay.com.
