The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play is back. Wednesday’s opening round is the first of three days of group play. After Friday, the player with the best record in each of the 16 four-man pools will advance to knockout play (ties will be broken via sudden-death playoff). Two rounds apiece will be played Saturday and Sunday to crown a champion.

This is the only official PGA TOUR event where players go mano-a-mano, and Austin Country Club is a perfect site for this format thanks to its offering of risk-reward holes.

Click here for all scores from Wednesday's matches.

There will be 32 matches in each of the next three days, and this file will be updated live at the conclusion of each match to keep you apprised of the action from the TOUR’s only match-play event. Return here often to learn about the latest upsets, comebacks and nail-biting finishes.

WEDNESDAY RECAPS

GROUP 1

Scottie Scheffler (1) def. Davis Riley (54), 1-up

As Wednesday afternoon turned to evening in Austin, the eyes of Texas turned to the defending WGC-Dell Match Play champion, current world No. 1 and alum of nearby University of Texas. Scheffler faced a 13-foot birdie at the last to defeat the second-year TOUR pro Riley, who interestingly fell to Scheffler in the final match of the 2013 U.S. Junior in California. As he often does, Scheffler delivered, his putt catching the edge of the hole and falling into the cup, much to the crowd’s delight. “I’m going to remember that putt on the last hole and take that energy with me tomorrow,” Scheffler said, having secured a full point on an eclectic day that included two eagles and a double bogey. Scheffler jumped 3-up with a 53-foot eagle at the par-4 fifth; Riley won two of the next four holes to give himself a fighting chance. But the local hero delivered at the final bell.

Player records: Scheffler (1-0-0); Riley (0-1-0)

Tom Kim (17) def. Alex Noren (38), 2 and 1

The Tom Kim train’s latest stop is Texas, and its conductor kept things on the tracks Wednesday, as the 20-year-old rising star made six birdies to withstand the steady Swede’s best efforts. The match was tied after Noren’s winning birdie at the par-5 12th; Kim then took command with three birdies in a four-hole stretch, two of which were hole-winners. Noren needed a 22-foot birdie at the par-3 17th to push the match to the final hole but it didn’t drop; Kim two-putted from 11 feet to take the match. Kim has already earned two TOUR titles before his 21st birthday, and his game has been regarded as an intriguing match for Austin CC. So far, so good.

Player records:Kim (1-0-0); Noren (0-1-0)

GROUP 2

Rickie Fowler (49) def. Jon Rahm (2), 2 and 1

Upset special. Rahm was 2-up through eight holes, but Fowler, in the Match Play for the first time since 2016, hung in there. He would win three holes (Nos. 8, 11, 15) with pars to take control. Fowler was 1-up on the 15th, and he appeared to have missed a key opportunity when his 5-footer for birdie lipped out. But Rahm reciprocated with a short miss for par, and Fowler was 2-up. Fowler tied Rahm at 16 with a 7-footer for birdie, and when the two made pars at 17, victory belonged to Fowler.

Player records: Fowler (1-0-0); Rahm (0-1-0)

Billy Horschel (22) tied Keith Mitchell (39)

Trailing 2-down with only five holes left in his match against former WGC-Dell Match Play champion Billy Horschel, Keith Mitchell found three birdies, including one at the final hole, to pull off a hard-earned tie in his opening match. Mitchell, top-20 in birdie average and a tough out in Group 2, birdied the 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th holes. At the last hole, Mitchell hit a beautiful pitch over the front bunker to inside 3 feet (conceded birdie). Horschel, who was 3-up after 11 holes, drove it right at 18 and hit his second to 30 feet, but he was unable to convert the putt to win. Horschel played steadily (no bogeys) but managed only one birdie on the back nine, which kept Mitchell in it.

Player records: Horschel (0-0-1); Mitchell (0-0-1)

GROUP 3

Rory McIlroy (3) def. Scott Stallings (52), 3 and 1

Armed with a shortened driver and new putter to put to the test, McIlroy mostly cruised. He birdied the fifth and sixth holes to build a nice cushion, going 3-up. Stallings wasn't able to put much pressure on the world No. 3, making only one birdie in his opening 12 holes. McIlroy did not play in the event a year ago, but he has not advanced to the Round of 16 since 2016, and he had lost three of his last four opening matches. McIlroy won the Match Play in 2015.

Player records: McIlroy (1-0-0); Stallings (0-1-0)

Denny McCarthy (48) tied Keegan Bradley (52)

The record books will show a tie, but this had to feel like a victory for Bradley, who in 10 matches at Austin CC has yet to celebrate a win. McCarthy was 4-up through 10 holes when Bradley, who had taken every one of his previous nine matches to the 18th hole, went to work. Bradley birdied 15, eagled 16 and birdied the 18 to salvage a tie. Overall, Bradley is now 0-3-7 at Austin CC; his last match victory in this event came in the opening round in 2012 at Dove Mountain. McCarthy was 4-up through 10 and could have run away, but his opening birdie at 1 was his lone birdie of the match.

Player records: Bradley (0-0-1); McCarthy (0-0-1)

GROUP 4

Brian Harman (29) def. K.H. Lee (36), 3 and 1

If he came to Austin CC to “find his game,” as Harman stated, he surely didn’t discover it at the opening hole. At least not when he missed the green from 89 yards and used two shots just to get it out of the rough and, well, he never truly finished the hole. “Bone-headed bogey,” he muttered. The good thing is, he apparently heard what he told himself and used it as motivation. How solidly did he respond? How about six birdies over the next 12 holes, by which time he was 3-up on the 31-year-old South Korean. Curiously, even though he’s made it out of group play in two of his three visits to this championship, it’s the first time Harman has won an opening match. Lee did nothing to lose – he had one bogey against four birdies – but Harman’s eight birdies provided plenty of strength.

Player records: Harman (1-0-0); Lee (0-1-0)

Patrick Cantlay (4) def. Nick Taylor (61)

That a guy who was bogey-free and 6 under had to make a 12-foot birdie putt to win his match on the 18th hole should tell you what sort of exhilarating game this was. Just understand that Cantlay isn’t the sort to express exhilaration. “Not that big,” answered Cantlay, when asked how big his birdie putt was at the 18th. “I mean, there are three matches (in group play).” He correctly pointed out that he’s yet to make it out of group play in four trips to this championship, but there was no denying Cantlay on this day, try as Taylor did. Five times these two tied holes with birdies, but the only three bogeys in the match (Nos. 9, 11, 15) belonged to the Canadian and on each occasion added to a Cantlay lead. With Taylor having a 3-footer for birdie at 18, Cantlay knew he had to make his 12-footer to tie the hole and maintain his 1-up lead. He did, too, his seventh birdie of the match.

Player records: Cantlay (1-0-0); Taylor (0-1-0)

GROUP 5

Max Homa (5) def. Justin Suh (63), 3 and 2

Homa didn’t say whether he prefers match play to stroke play, but he did admit Wednesday that it’s easier to focus on just one man instead of 150-some others. This match got off to a bizarre start when Homa won the first hole with a bogey. After he bogeyed the third hole himself the match was tied, where it remained for nine consecutive holes, eight of which were tied with pars. Homa made his first birdie on the par-5 12th to move 1-up and then won the 15th hole with only par. A birdie on the 16th ended the match. Suh only made one birdie all day and still lasted until the 16th hole. It was a missed opportunity for him, playing in his first Match Play.

Player records:Homa (1-0-0); Suh (0-1-0)

Hideki Matsuyama (18) def. Kevin Kisner (42), 1-up

According to seeds, a Matsuyama victory is not an upset. But when you consider Kisner was 22-7-1 in his career in this championship, won in 2019 and was a finalist last year – losing to Scottie Scheffler – the Matsuyama win was, at the least, mildly surprising. Neither man played extremely well, leaving doors open for the other to take advantage. After it was over, eight holes were tied and Matsuyama was 1-up in the other 10, including each of the last five. Kisner will have to beat Max Homa on Day 2 to avoid going 0-2, which would mean no chance of advancing out of the group stage.

Player records: Matsuyama (1-0-0); Kisner (0-1-0)

GROUP 6

Xander Schauffele (6) def. Cam Davis (64), 4 and 3

Davis was 3-down after seven holes and was 2 under par, having made an eagle on the par-4 fifth hole. Problem for the Aussie was that Schauffele made five birdies in the first seven holes to nearly put the match out of reach. After another birdie on the ninth, Schauffele was 4-up, leaving Davis to just try to extend the match as long as he could. Schauffele hit an approach inside 3 feet on the 15th hole to end it after making eight birdies on the day. It’s a solid start for the man who, surprisingly, has not advanced out of the group stage the past two years. “I played really solid,” Schauffele said. “I think I had one bad swing all day.”

Player records: Schauffele (1-0-0); Davis (0-1-0)

Aaron Wise (40) def. Tom Hoge (23), 1-up

A tightly contested match for the first half, but Wise birdied the 10th hole to get to 3-up. Hoge was 2-down with two holes remaining and birdied 17 to get to the final hole but Wise, who only hit three of 14 fairways on the day, made birdie from 16 feet to win. Hoge is still looking for his first victory in the Match Play, going 0-2-1 last year. This is Wise’s second appearance after going 1-2-0 in 2019, losing to Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay in quite the star-studded group.

Player records:Wise (1-0-0); Hoge (0-1-0)

GROUP 7

Andrew Putnam (56) def. Will Zalatoris (26), 3 and 2

Nothing about the way in which he birdied Nos. 12 and 13 to hang tied in his match – on a day when he was already 3 under, thank you very much – prepared you for the manner in which Zalatoris squandered any chance to win. He pulled a drive into the water at the par-4 14th, then at the par-5 16thhe hit a second shot into high grass right and a third long and out-of-bounds. Sandwiched around Putnam’s 3-foot birdie putt to win the 15th, those two concessions capped a discouraging start for the world’s eighth-ranked player and a surprising victory for the unheralded 34-year-old making just his second appearance in this World Golf Championship. Never was anyone more than 1-up in this match – at least not until Zalatoris went wild, in a bad way.

Player records: Putnam (1-0-0); Zalatoris (0-1-0)

Ryan Fox (36) def. Harris English (33), 2 and 1

There’s a certain sense of satisfaction that comes when you demonstrate that you truly are as advertised. For Fox, that means you can flaunt the power on command. The burly New Zealander, still a bit of a novelty to American fans, never hesitated when he walked to the tee at the par-4 13th. He was 2-up, having birdied No. 12, but playing safe wasn’t in the equation. “I can hit driver hard and kind of know I’ve got everything covered,” said the hard-hitting Fox, flustered not one bit by the 308 yards to the flagstick, most of it water. He covered it handsomely and when he slipped in a 6-footer for eagle to go 3-up, he was firmly in control. Not a bad debut appearance for the New Zealander.

Player records: Fox (1-0-0); English (0-1-0)

GROUP 8

Si Woo Kim (34) def. Chris Kirk (28), 4 and 3

In a matchup of two TOUR winners this season – Kim at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Kirk at The Honda Classic – it was the 27-year-old South Korean who started fast and steadily pulled away. Kim won Nos. 1 and 4 with birdies to go 2-up; that margin remained the same as the match reached No. 12. From there, Kim made his statement with a tap-in birdie followed by a chip-in eagle from 68 feet at the short par-4 13th hole; he won both holes. Two holes later, with Kirk in tight for birdie, Kim stuffed his approach to 8 feet and drained the birdie to close the match.

Player records: Kim (1-0-0); Kirk (0-1-0)

Matt Kuchar (59) def. Viktor Hovland (8), 3 and 1

Kuchar took a roller-coaster journey to his opening-match victory in Austin, as the nine-time TOUR winner assumed a 3-up lead through four holes, surrendered that margin to bring things tied with eight holes to play, then closed with four birdies in seven holes to secure one of the day’s more notable upsets by seed. Kuchar, though, has established himself as a lifelong force at the Match Play – he is fresh off a second and third in his last two starts at Austin CC; he also won in 2013 at Dove Mountain. “There are plenty of guys that have done it and done it well in their 40s,” said Kuchar, 44. “Now we’ve got Tom Brady to look up to and aspire to be like … so it’s doable.”

Player records: Kuchar (1-0-0); Hovland (0-1-0)

GROUP 9

Jason Day (32) def. Adam Svensson (44), 4 and 2

Day continues his upward trend. Sure, this format is different than anything else they play on the PGA TOUR but the Aussie, who did not play here last year, has recorded five top-10 finishes in his last six events and is playing some of the best golf he’s played over the last five years. Wednesday was no different as the two-time Match Play champion (2014, 2016) made eight birdies, including six consecutive (Nos. 11-16) late in the match to overpower Svensson in his first Match Play appearance. The match was actually tied after 12 holes, but Day won the next four straight to close it out. He has now collected a career 24-16-0 record in this championship.

Player records: Day (1-0-0); Svensson (0-1-0)

Collin Morikawa (9) def. Victor Perez (51), 2 and 1

One of the stranger matches if you just purely look at the scorecard. First, don’t sleep on Perez. He played here only once, in 2021, but he advanced out of the group stage and ultimately lost to Billy Horschel in the semifinals. On Wednesday, the Frenchman made three birdies and three bogeys and somehow lasted until the 17th hole against Morikawa, who made six birdies. In fact, Perez was 2 over par after nine holes with two bogeys and was only down 1. He bogeyed No. 10 to go down 2, then birdied 13 to get one back, but Morikawa birdied 14 to go 2-up. This is Morikawa’s third trip to the Match Play and he’s now 3-3-2 overall. Last year he advanced out of his group but got smoked, 7 and 6, against Abraham Ancer in the Round of 16.

Player records:Morikawa (1-0-0); Perez (0-1-0)

GROUP 10

Tony Finau (10) def. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (60), 2 and 1

A match between two men who have not fared as well in this championship as one might think. Finau has never advanced out of the group stage in four previous attempts and Bezuidenhout hasn’t won a match the last two years, going 0-5-1. Unfortunately for Bezuidenhout, he still remains without a victory, as Finau made five birdies in a six-hole stretch to take a 3-up lead after seven holes. Bezuidenhout whittled it down to 1 after 13, but Finau then won the next two holes, via consecutive Bezuidenhout bogeys, and the lead was insurmountable.

Player records: Finau (1-0-0); Bezuidenhout (0-1-0)

Adrian Meronk (45) def. Kurt Kitayama (19), 2 and 1

One of the better early matches on Day 1, between two Match Play rookies, that went under the radar. None of the first three holes were tied yet Meronk was 2-up after the fifth hole. Kitayama made three birdies in a five-hole stretch (Nos. 9-13) to tie the match but Meronk birdied Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to close it out on the 17th hole, making seven total birdies on the day. Kitayama made five birdies and a lone bogey in his first match, but the closing stretch by Meronk proved too strong.

Player records:Meronk (1-0-0); Kitayama (0-1-0)

GROUP 11

J.J. Spaun (61) def. Matt Fitzpatrick (11), 5 and 3

The first match of the day also was the earliest to finish, as Spaun thumped the reigning U.S. Open champion. Spaun took control with birdies on 12 (13 feet) and 13 (chip-in) to go 2-up, then holed a wedge from 107 yards for eagle at the 309-yard 14th. Spaun made five birdies and an eagle in 15 holes. He also made a key par save at No. 10 after Fitzpatrick had cut a 3-up deficit to 1-down. Spaun said he had not played match play since college; Fitzpatrick never has advanced from pool play (this is his seventh WGC-Dell Match Play start).

Player records:Spaun (1-0-0); Fitzpatrick (0-1-0)

Min Woo Lee (41) def. Sahith Theegala (26), 1-up

Australia’s Lee was 1 down with two holes to play, then finished birdie-birdie to defeat Theegala, who is making his Match Play debut. Lee, who played deep into Sunday at the recent PLAYERS Championship (T6), rolled in a 12-footer at 17 to tie the match, then won with a sand-save birdie at the 18th hole, where his uphill blast from the front bunker finished 3 feet from the hole. Theegala missed his 17-foot putt for birdie, leaving the stage for Lee. Lee finished 1-1-1 at Austin Country Club a year ago.

Player records: Lee (1-0-0); Theegala (0-1-0)

GROUP 12

Jordan Spieth (12) def. Mackenzie Hughes (50), 4 and 3

For a guy whose sloppy finishes of late had squandered chances to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Valspar Championship, Spieth conceded he was a bit embarrassed by the way in which he dispatched Hughes. “I kind of apologized for the way it ended,” said Spieth after pulling off what is arguably his most uncanny skill – holing a 29-yard shot from a funky uphill lie in thick grass short of the 15th green. The birdie put an exclamation point on an adventurous back-nine stretch as Spieth won the par-4 11th with par, lost the par-5 12th with a sloppy bogey, then striped his drive to 8 feet at the 308-yard 13th to make eagle and go 3-up. Hughes handed Spieth the 14th when he missed the green with his approach and left his third shot in gnarly rough, then the kid who played his collegiate golf nearby at the University of Texas showed the Canadian yet another example of remarkable magic.

Player records: Spieth (1-0-0); Hughes (0-1-0)

Taylor Montgomery (47) def. Shane Lowry (21), 2 and 1

Kurt Kitayama isn’t the only surprise on the PGA TOUR in 2022-23. His former teammate at UNLV, Montgomery, is scripting a newcomer’s chapter of note, too. Part of the reason, perhaps, is being undaunted by the size of the arena and for proof, consider that the 28-year-old didn’t even know that he and Lowry tied each of the last 10 holes of their match. “So, it was more like a pillow fight,” chuckled Montgomery, who birdied four of five holes to get 2-up through seven. That is when the string of tied holes started, but don’t think Montgomery’s “pillow fight” answer suggests it’s been a soft season. On the contrary, with a third-place finish and three other top-10s, he's gaining traction and opening eyes. So opening with a win here was yet further proof he belongs.

Player records: Montgomery (1-0-0); Lowry (0-1-0)

GROUP 13

Sam Burns (13) def. Adam Hadwin (53), 3 and 2

Having picked up momentum by shooting 67 and surging into the top 10 at Valspar on Sunday, Burns stayed on a roll, pulling away late to capture his opening match. After giving away the par-3 11th with a bogey to fall 1-down, Burns then reeled off three consecutive birdies to go on top, 2-up. He added to the lead when Hadwin bogeyed 15, and the match ended when the players traded birdies at the par-5 16th. Burns made from 19 feet at 12, drove the par-4 13th (two-putt birdie) and poured in an 18-footer at 14.

Player records: Burns (1-0-0); Hadwin (0-1-0)

Adam Scott (33) def. Seamus Power (30), 1-up

A close match throughout, Scott stayed close but never did lead in the match – until he walked off the 18th green a winner. Power had the advantage on the final green, looking at an 11-foot putt for birdie. Scott's approach carried longer than expected, and he had 26 feet down the hill, a difficult putt. Classic match play. Scott made his putt, Power's putt stayed out on the left side, and the victory belonged to Scott. He played in his first Match Play in 2002, and he improved his record to 18-17-2.

Player records: Scott (1-0-0), Power (0-1-0) 1-0)

GROUP 14

Ben Griffin (62) def. Tyrrell Hatton (14), 3 and 1

A newcomer onto the WGC-Dell Match Play scene, Griffin wasted no time in making his presence felt around Austin CC, as the former mortgage loan officer made three consecutive birdies early (Nos. 4-6) to build a 2-up lead on the veteran Englishman. Hatton won the short par-4 13th hole after Griffin’s tee shot found the water, moving within 1-down, but Griffin regained his 2-up edge with a 9-foot birdie at No. 15. The North Carolina native stuck his tee shot to 4 feet at the par-3 17th, and after Hatton’s birdie putt didn’t drop, the match was conceded.

Player records: Griffin (1-0-0); Hatton (0-1-0)

Lucas Herbert (46) def. Russell Henley (31), 1-up

Herbert stormed out to a 5-up advantage through nine holes Wednesday, on the strength of five birdies. The golf world, though, knows to never count out Henley, and the Georgia Bulldog responded with six birdies on the back nine, including a 17-footer at the par-3 17th to extend the match as Herbert also made birdie from 3 feet. Herbert had 20 feet for birdie at No. 18 to tie the match, but he couldn’t get it to drop. The Australian gets on the board early, as he pursues a spot in the Round of 16 after falling shy last year in his Match Play debut.

Player records: Herbert (1-0-0); Henley (0-1-0)

GROUP 15

Corey Conners (36) def. Sepp Straka (27), 6 and 5

Steady golf was the name of the game for the veteran Canadian, who played bogey-free for 13 holes Wednesday and added five birdies, plenty enough to dispatch of the Austrian. Conners quickly built a 3-up lead with three birdies in his first four holes; after Straka cut into the deficit with a birdie at the fifth, Conners responded with a winning birdie at the next hole and didn’t allow the Georgia alum to pull any closer. Conners closed the match with a winning par at the short par-4 13th, as Straka missed his 5-foot par try.

Player records: Conners (1-0-0); Straka (0-1-0)

Cameron Young (15) def. Davis Thompson (57), 3 and 2

Young has taken the golf world by storm since earning his first TOUR card in 2021, demonstrating a generational blend of strength and precision off the tee. The Wake Forest alum proved Wednesday that his game suits Austin CC’s shot-making demands as well, making six birdies and an eagle across the first nine holes and jumping to a 5-up lead at the turn – even with Thompson making three birdies against just one bogey in that span. The Georgia alum didn’t surrender without a fight, making two birdies and an eagle across Nos. 12-15, winning three of four holes to move within 2-down. Young didn’t miss a beat, though, two-putting for birdie at the par-5 16th to close out the match.

Player records: Young (1-0-0); Thompson (0-1-0)

GROUP 16

Sungjae Im (16) def. Maverick McNealy (49), 8 and 6

Need a way to measure the level of this romp? Consider that Im didn’t make his first birdie until the sixth hole – and that put him 5-up. Looking for a way to further confirm that sometimes golf is simply inexplicable? Only a year ago, McNealy was on the good side of an 8-and-6 triumph in the opening round. Crazy game, even crazier set of circumstances in this match as Im had a double bogey (No. 8) and only two birdies, yet he made the turn 5-up. When McNealy bogeyed both the 10th and 11th and Im made just his third birdie, at the par-5 12th, the thrashing was officially in the books.

Player records: Im (1-0-0); McNealy (0-1-0)

J.T. Poston (48) def. Tommy Fleetwood (17), 3 and 2

It’s not as if Poston should be asked for his credentials when big tournaments such as this WGC at Austin CC are held. After all, it was only two years ago when Billy Horschel took down Scottie Scheffler and walked away with the top prize here. Quite a week for Horschel, who won $1.82 million and only lost once in seven matches. The man who beat him? None other than Poston, by 4 and 2 in the second game of group play. The man who took Horschel to the 19th hole in the quarterfinals that year? Fleetwood. So if you connect the dots and digest Poston’s methodical dismantling of Fleetwood – he was 2-up through five and never lost his grip – one would have to say some respect is owed. Yet Poston is quite OK with staying humble. “If I can just give myself a putt, I feel like I’m always in it,” he said after playing his last 13 holes in a bogey-free 4 under to pull the upset. “I’m just trying to hit fairways and greens and let the putter get hot.”

Player records: Poston (1-0-0); Fleetwood (0-1-0)