WGC – Dell 2022 R3
March 23-27
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
$12,000,000
Round 1, Round 2, Knockout Rounds, Finals
• 49 years old
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2022
• Third career start in United States
• Played Challenge Tour as recently as 2019
• Never ranked top-100 in world until 2021
• First DP World Tour win came in 2021
Richard Bland advances to the Round of 16 @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/21xOhD3ZPY
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Richard Bland defeated fellow Englishman Lee Westwood 2&1 in the third round of the WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play to move on to the round of 16 where he will be playing against Dustin Johnson.
WGC – Dell 2022 R3
“Of course he’s favourite,” said Bland. “That’s not being negative or anything like that, that’s just realistic. Everybody knows that.
“But if I play how I know I can play, I would like to think he’s got a game on his hands. So yeah, we’ll see. But I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m clearly the underdog, so the underdog’s never got anything to lose.
“By the looks of it he’s playing pretty good, so I’m going to have to play my best golf just to have a chance at beating him. But it’s 18 holes, it’s match play – who knows? We’ll see.
Only 5 remain unbeaten heading into the weekend @DellMatchPlay.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2022
(presented by @ROLEX) pic.twitter.com/Cl9mHwG3d5
WGC – Dell 2022 R3
“I guess probably someone at 49 shouldn’t be doing this for the first time but I guess there’s always the exception to the rule, isn’t there? Not necessarily just in golf. You see it in other sports as well.
“You’ve only got to kind of look at it, in tennis Rafa Nadal’s still beating all the young ones, and Roger Federer, I’m sure when he comes back will be exactly the same.
“So there’s always the exception to the rule. So it’s quite nice to be that exception.”
WGC – Dell 2022 R3
Bland is playing at Austin Country Club for the first time at 49 after winning his first title in his 478th start last year and is currently third in the DP World Tour Rankings and 60th in the World Rankings.
World Number 1 Jon Rahm lost his match against Patrick Reed, already eliminated, 3&2 but moved on to the playoff as Sebastián Muñoz beat Cameron Young 1 Up.
Brooks Koepka beat Shane Lowry with a birdie at the last hole and is set to play Rahm.
WGC – Dell 2022 R3
Playoff
| Group 3 | Viktor Hovland (3) | Will Zalatoris (24) W |
| Group 5 | Scottie Scheffler (5) W | Matt Fitzpatrick (20) |
| Group 7 | Lucas Herbert (39) | Takumi Kanaya (56) W |
| Group 14 | Maverick McNealy (64) | Kevin Na (25) W |
Round 3
| Group 12 | Billy Horschel (12) 2 – 0 – 1 | Tied | Thomas Pieters (26) 1 – 1 – 1 | ||
| Group 12 | Tom Hoge (33) 0 – 2 – 1 | Tied | Min Woo Lee (49) 1 – 1 – 1 | ||
| Group 5 | Scottie Scheffler (5) 2 – 1 – 0 | > | 5 & 4 | Matt Fitzpatrick (20) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 5 | Tommy Fleetwood (41) 1 – 2 – 0 | 4 & 3 | < | Ian Poulter (59) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 13 | Tyrrell Hatton (13) 3 – 0 – 0 | > | 2 Up | Daniel Berger (17) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 13 | Si Woo Kim (48) 2 – 1 – 0 | > | 6 & 4 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout (52) 0 – 3 – 0 | |
| Group 4 | Patrick Cantlay (4) 1 – 1 – 1 | > | 2 & 1 | Sungjae Im (21) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 4 | Seamus Power (42) 2 – 1 – 0 | 2 & 1 | < | Keith Mitchell (62) 1 – 1 – 1 | |
| Group 9 | Bryson DeChambeau (9) 0 – 2 – 1 | 2 Up | < | Talor Gooch (27) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 9 | Lee Westwood (47) 1 – 2 – 0 | 2 & 1 | < | Richard Bland (54) 2 – 0 – 1 | |
| Group 8 | Dustin Johnson (8) 3 – 0 – 0 | > | 1 Up | Max Homa (30) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 8 | Matthew Wolff (38) 0 – 3 – 0 | 1 Up | < | Mackenzie Hughes (51) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 16 | Brooks Koepka (16) 3 – 0 – 0 | > | 1 Up | Shane Lowry (28) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 16 | Harold Varner III (35) 2 – 1 – 0 | > | 5 & 4 | Erik van Rooyen (55) 0 – 3 – 0 | |
| Group 1 | Jon Rahm (1) 2 – 1 – 0 | 3 & 2 | < | Patrick Reed (23) 1 – 1 – 1 | |
| Group 1 | Cameron Young (40) 1 – 2 – 0 | 1 Up | < | Sebastián Muñoz (58) 1 – 1 – 1 | |
| Group 11 | Jordan Spieth (11) 1 – 2 – 0 | 3 & 2 | < | Adam Scott (32) 2 – 0 – 1 | |
| Group 11 | Justin Rose (46) 1 – 1 – 1 | Tied | Keegan Bradley (60) 0 – 1 – 2 | ||
| Group 6 | Justin Thomas (6) 1 – 2 – 0 | 4 & 3 | < | Kevin Kisner (29) 3 – 0 – 0 | |
| Group 6 | Marc Leishman (37) 1 – 2 – 0 | > | 3 & 2 | Luke List (53) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 14 | Joaquin Niemann (14) 1 – 2 – 0 | 1 Up | < | Kevin Na (25) 2 – 0 – 1 | |
| Group 14 | Russell Henley (34) 0 – 3 – 0 | 2 & 1 | < | Maverick McNealy (64) 2 – 0 – 1 | |
| Group 3 | Viktor Hovland (3) 2 – 1 – 0 | 1 Up | < | Will Zalatoris (24) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 3 | Cameron Tringale (45) 1 – 2 – 0 | > | 5 & 3 | Sepp Straka (63) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 10 | Louis Oosthuizen (10) 1 – 2 – 0 | > | Conceded | Paul Casey (19) 0 – 3 – 0 | |
| Group 10 | Corey Conners (36) 3 – 0 – 0 | > | 3 & 2 | Alex Noren (50) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 7 | Xander Schauffele (7) 1 – 2 – 0 | 4 & 2 | < | Tony Finau (18) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 7 | Lucas Herbert (39) 2 – 1 – 0 | 5 & 4 | < | Takumi Kanaya (56) 2 – 1 – 0 | |
| Group 15 | Abraham Ancer (15) 2 – 0 – 1 | > | 2 Up | Webb Simpson (31) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 15 | Brian Harman (44) 0 – 1 – 2 | Tied | Bubba Watson (57) 1 – 1 – 1 | ||
| Group 2 | Collin Morikawa (2) 2 – 0 – 1 | > | 1 Up | Jason Kokrak (22) 1 – 2 – 0 | |
| Group 2 | Sergio Garcia (43) 1 – 1 – 1 | 4 & 2 | < | Robert MacIntyre (61) 1 – 2 – 0 |
