PGA Match Play Rules

Every so often, the PGA Tour takes a break from its standard four-round format and engages in a match-play tournament. Held under the World Golf Challenge umbrella, the match-play events pit the top players in the world against one another in a series of one-on-one showdowns. The match winner advances to the next round, while the loser is out. Match play is easy to follow for players and fans alike.

  1. Building the Bracket

    • PGA match play tournaments feature a 64-player field with standard tournament bracket rules. The players are ranked from 1 to 64 using their position in the world golf ranking, with the top four players given No. 1 seeds. The next four players are awarded No. 2 seeds, with the remainder of the field seeded in order down to the final four players, who are seeded 16th. The groups are then placed in one of four brackets, each containing one seed from 1 to 16. The first-round matchups feature No. 1 against No. 16, No. 2 against No. 15, No. 3 facing No. 14, No. 4 playing No. 13, No. 5 squaring off against No. 12, No. 6 matched against No. 11, No. 7 playing No. 10 and No. 8 dueling with No. 9.

    Rules of Play

    • The players begin on the first hole with the score even. Whichever player posts a better score wins the hole, and takes a "1 up" lead. If they shoot the same score, they remain even. If a player wins the first two holes, he is "2 up". Each hole is worth just one point; there is no carry-over from hole to hole. If the leading player builds an advantage that exceeds the number of holes remaining (6 up with five holes left, for example), the trailing player cannot catch up and must concede the match. Otherwise, the player in front after 18 holes wins. If the players are tied after 18 holes, they continue one hole at a time until someone posts a better score.

    Other Rules

    • If a player ranked in the top 64 as of the tournament's cutoff date (usually the Monday before the event takes place) cannot play or chooses to skip the competition, the No. 65-ranked player is invited to take his place. Once the tournament reaches the semifinals, players are guaranteed at least two more rounds. The semifinal losers face off the following day in the third-place match, while the winners reach the 36-hole final, with 18 holes played in the morning and another 18 in the afternoon. The score from the morning round is carried over into the afternoon round.