Where Is the Dell Golf Tournament?

The WGC Match Play (also called the Dell golfing tournament) is a professional golfing event that is part of the World Golf Championships. The event is a single-elimination match play event, with 64 players competing in a bracket-style tournament. But where is the Dell golf tournament held? Learn more here.

The Dell golfing tournament has been held at various locations over the years, but it has most often been played at the Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. The event returned to Austin in 2016 after a one-year stint at the Harding Park Course in San Francisco and has been held there since.

 A man hitting a golf ball

Where Is the Dell Golf Tournament Held?

This men-only professional golfing tournament is part of the World Golf Championships. The event was first played in 1999 and is hosted by the Austin Country Club in Texas, one of the oldest golfing courses in the US.

After numerous changes in location and management, the event finally found its footing around 2016, after its return to Austin.

Around 2016, when the tournament returned to Texas, Dell Technologies became the official sponsor, and the event got named after the company. Renaming championships according to their current sponsors is commonplace, hence the different moniker of Dell Technologies.

A man hitting a golf ball with spectators behind him

The History and Format of This Championship

It’s safe to say that this championship recovered the reputation of match-play formats in golfing. These types of tournaments were primarily played in Britain during the 1950s and were associated mainly with amateur golfers and tournaments.

This format features the top 64 players divided into 16 four-player groups. The players within each group compete against each other in a round-robin format, with the winner of each group advancing to the next round. The top two players from each group then move on to the knockout stage, where they compete in single-elimination matches until a champion is crowned.

The event is televised in more than 190 countries and attracts more than 300 million viewers. The tournament is also one of the wealthiest golfing events and has a strict policy on who can enter it.

The PGA Tour Has Its Hands in Organizing This Event

This is one of the World Golf Championships events sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours; the prize money is the official money on the PGA Tour. It is also the only individual match-play tournament on the list; all others are stroke plays.

Other championships are:

  • WGC Championship (1999 – 2021),
  • WGC Invitational (1999 – 2021),
  • WGC World Cup (2000 – 2006),
  • WGC Champions (2009).

The Match Play Tournament Over the Years

This challenge moved around quite a bit since its inception in 1999. With the resurrection of the match-play style and the founding of the World Golf Championship, this event was highly coveted and competitive, even when it came to its host city.

Before Austin, the Event Was Held in California and Arizona

The Gallery Club in Marana, Arizona, was probably the most attractive location for this championship. It was held here between 2009 and 2014, and the course ranks as one of the most beautiful in the country, along with the Bay Hill course and the Hilton Head Island.

Tiger Woods was the reigning champion at this location and remains the best performer in the overall championship today.

In 2015, after long deliberation and visiting issues, the hosts decided to move the event to San Francisco, California. It was played at Harding Park and sponsored by Cadillac. The current playing format was designed and implemented during the events held in San Francisco and was moved from March to May.

The Tournament Was Also Briefly Played in Australia

In 2001, the Metropolitan Club in Melbourne, Australia, hosted the WGC Match Play tour. However, because the event was meant to be played in January (during the Australian summer) many invited players declined participation due to off-season dates.

Most major championships are played in the US and the UK, and most players hail from these ends, so they weren’t exactly thrilled to travel across the globe and participate in an event where they could end up playing one hole.

A wedge near a golf ball

Previous and Latest Winners

You better believe that champions of this event never wonder if a 3+ or a 20+ handicap is better because this event has been won by some of the biggest names in golfing. Here’s a list of the most notable winners over the years.

PlayerYear(s)
Tiger Woods2003, 2004, 2008
Geoff Ogilvy2006, 2009 (2007 runner-up)
Jason Day2014, 2016
David Toms2005 (2003 runner-up)
Hunter Mahan2012 (2013 runner-up)
Matt Kuchar2013 (2019 runner-up)
Rory McIlroy2015 (2012 runner-up)
Kevin Kisner2019 (2018 and 2022 runner-up)
Scottie Scheffler2022 (runner-up 2021)

The 2022 Winner of the WGC Dell Golf Tournament

While one-time champion Kevin Kisner was the runner-up at the 2022 event, the crowned winner was Scottie Scheffler. He defeated Kisner 4 and 3 in the final and became the number one golfer on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

The 2022 pool consisted of some strong players, such as Jon Rahm, the first Spanish golfer to win the US Open last year, and Matt Fitzpatrick, the current US Open champion hailing from England.

Scheffler was placed in Group 5 with Matt Fitzpatrick and defeated him 5 and 4 in the final round after they both eliminated the other two players in the group. The champion won a trophy and a decent sum of $2,100,000.

A golfer squatting with spectators behind him

Improve Your Skills and Get To Work on the Dell Technologies Tournament

With its rich history and talented field of players, the Match Play is always one of the most anticipated events on the golfing calendar and every pro golfer’s schedule.

If you invest in a golfing club membership today and sharpen your beginner clubs, you could one day grace the same headlines as Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods.

Still, reaching greatness requires practice and dedication. But, whenever you’re ready for them, the World Golf Championships will be there, waiting for your participation.