Rahm-Fowler match highlights Wednesday lineup at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

The groups are set, the matches are scheduled and now it’s time to start filling out some brackets.

A star-studded field of 64 has returned to Austin Country Club for the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. It’s headlined by the world No. 1, as Scottie Scheffler returns to the Lone Star State to defend his title, two weeks after cruising to a five-shot win at THE PLAYERS Championship. But he’s not the only big name in the field, as players ranging from Jon Rahm to Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and others are all in town to try to navigate the group and knockout stages.

Before matches begin on Wednesday, be sure to try your hand at the Bracket Challenge – free to enter and an opportunity to win prizes while making picks against friends, co-workers or PGA TOUR experts.

Here’s a look at five marquee matches to watch Wednesday as group play begins, starting with the former world No. 1 who’s hoping to rekindle his red-hot season (odds via BetMGM Sportsbook):

1. Group 2

(2) Jon Rahm (-165) vs. (49) Rickie Fowler (+135)

Think this one will attract a few fans at Austin CC? Rahm already has three wins under his belt in 2023, having torched the West Coast Swing before fizzling out over the weekend at Bay Hill. There’s a bit of a question mark surrounding the world No. 2, as this marks his first start since he withdrew from THE PLAYERS ahead of the second round because of illness. Rahm was a runner-up here in his debut appearance in 2017 but has failed to get past the quarterfinals in four subsequent appearances.

He’ll face a challenge right out of the gates, as Fowler has managed to resurrect his game and return to this elite field for his first appearance since 2016. Ranked 134th in the world a year ago, he’s now back inside the top 60 thanks in large part to four top-20 finishes in his last five starts. It’s not quite as thermal as Rahm’s early-year heater, but it shows that Fowler will bring a formidable skillset to an opening match that could go a long way toward determining who advances to the Round of 16 from Group 2.

2. Group 1

(1) Scottie Scheffler (-250) vs. (54) Davis Riley (+190)

These two have some match play history, as Scheffler beat Riley to win the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur after Riley self-reported a rules violation on the match’s final hole. Much has changed since, especially for Scheffler who enters as the defending champ and new world No. 1 after his dominant performance at TPC Sawgrass. Last year Scheffler came into this event with two wins under his belt in 2022 and moved through the bracket without breaking much of a sweat. He has already won twice this year, and few would be surprised to see him lifting the trophy (again) come Sunday.

But to do so he’ll likely need to start with a win against Riley, who finished T-19 last week in Tampa after losing that event in a playoff a year ago. He largely struggled on the West Coast but turned things around when the action shifted to Florida, and he’ll look to start in style Wednesday with an upset of the defending champ that would surely send shock waves through the bracket.

3. Group 12

(12) Jordan Spieth (-165) vs. (50) Mackenzie Hughes (+135)

What will Spieth do next? It’s a question that kept fans on the edge of their seats last week at the Valspar Championship, where Spieth finished T-3 for his second close call of the Florida Swing. The former Longhorn will have ample support from the crowds this week as he returns to his home state in hopes improving his record in this event: in six prior appearances at Austin CC, he has yet to advance past the Round of 16.

He'll get that quest off the ground against a potential spoiler in Hughes, who won earlier this season at the Sanderson Farms Championship and has a pretty good feel for the fairways and greens in Austin. The Canadian boasts a 4-1-1 group play record over the last two years, advancing to the knockout stage in 2021 despite being the lowest-seeded player in his group. An opening-day upset of Spieth would go a long way toward bringing that storyline back to life this week.

4. Group 11

(26) Sahith Theegala (-120) vs. (41) Min Woo Lee (-105)

Lee left TPC Sawgrass with a new throng of fans after his memorable performance, playing in the final group en route to a T-6 finish at THE PLAYERS. The Aussie is on the cusp of Special Temporary Membership on TOUR and could cross the threshold with a solid performance in Austin. A runner-up earlier this year on the DP World Tour, it’s clear his missed cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was an outlier among an otherwise strong start to the year.

Theegala managed to make the TOUR Championship field last season despite not winning a tournament, a testament to the consistency he displayed in his first year on TOUR. He’s flashed more of the same in 2023, with top-6 finishes at Torrey Pines and Riviera before a T-14 finish at Bay Hill, and he’ll be among the fan favorites as he makes his debut appearance in Austin.

5. Group 2

(22) Billy Horschel (-105) vs. (39) Keith Mitchell (-120)

It’s Florida-Georgia, but in March. Horschel returns to Austin two years after cruising through the bracket en route to victory, and he made it to the knockout stage last year in his title defense. He added more match play experience last fall while making his Presidents Cup debut, but the results have been lean this year: four missed cuts in his last six starts, with a T32 finish at the WM Phoenix Open the best of the bunch. Can a return to match-play format spark one of the TOUR’s more emotional players?

He'll face Mitchell in the opener, a veteran who like Fowler has returned to form in recent months. The former Bulldog is making his third appearance in this event, and while he didn’t win on the West Coast Swing he factored regularly, with top-5 finishes at both Pebble Beach and Riviera. His cool, calm demeanor could be an asset amidst the volatility of match play.