Pod system at WGC Match Play has players, fans confused

At the inaugural WGC Match Play Championship in 1999, Craig Stadler, ranked 60th in the world, eliminated Europe’s top player, Colin Montgomerie, in one of the first matches of the tournament.

Stadler was asked if he felt bad for Montgomerie, who flew all the way from England to San Diego to play just 15 holes and be out of the tournament before noon on Wednesday.

“Have a nice flight home,” the veteran deadpanned.

Billed as golf’s answer to March Madness, the single-elimination format was one of the major appeals of the match-play event. The top 64 players lined up and had to perform every day to reach the weekend.

That often didn’t occur. In 2002, the last man in the field, Peter O’Malley, took out Tiger Woods in one of the most memorable first-round shockers.

But the PGA Tour changed things in 2015, eliminating the one-and-done format for a pod system, one that will be in use this week in Austin, Texas. Players are put in groups of four, play a round robin for three days, and the top performers from each group — 16 players — move on to the weekend for a traditional bracket.

The format guarantees everybody gets at least three matches. It also means viewers — and sometimes the players — are often lost about what is happening the first three days.

Here’s what Jordan Spieth said Monday as he recalled his chances of advancing to the round of 16 in 2019.

“I had a chance at 1-0-1 going into my last match,” he said. “If I had won that, I could have been in a playoff. I could have won by them tying behind me, and I could have won by whoever it was losing behind me. And so if you get to a loss or a tie, I guess it is a nice feeling to know that there is a chance still.”

Huh? Not exactly the early-round drama that viewers need.

Jon Rahm, for one, is not a fan of the format.

“I do like the sudden death (format),” Rahm said Tuesday. “I understand it’s a little bit harder for the sponsors and TV because your best guys might be gone, but I think it’s more thrilling.”

Like Spieth, Rahm said the pod system is just too confusing.

“You have the whole thing of who ties and who beats who and a playoff and all that, and how sometimes somebody who gets 2 points gets through and somebody who gets 2 ½ might not go through,” he said. “To me, it doesn’t seem the best.”

Matthew Fitzpatrick said many players feel that way.

“A lot of guys kind of just want to do straight knockout and just get on with it,” he said. “If you lose, you lose, and if you win, you’re on to the next one.”

This pod system will be in place when the LPGA brings the Bank of Hope Match Play event to Shadow Creek in May. So local golf fans can follow the PGA Tour event this week to prepare for what’s coming to Las Vegas.

Chip Shots

— Five Iron Golf is launching its Spring League season Monday at its facility at Area15. Teams of four to six players will play virtual courses for seven weeks, before five teams compete in a playoff to crown a winner.

The top Las Vegas team will then compete against Five Iron winners from New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia for the national title. Winners will earn a trip for real golf at North Carolina’s famed Pinehurst Resort. Details are available at https://fiveirongolf.com.

— Josh Goldstein shot 72 on Monday for a two-shot victory over Marcus Mullins in the championship division of the SNGA Tour event at Painted Desert. Other winners included Jerry Algeo (Championship Net), Mark Dudenake (Senior Gross and Senior Net), and Mike Campbell (Silver Gross and Silver Net).

Greg Robertson is a freelance reporter who covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at robertsongt@gmail.com .