Golf tournament
2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play Dates April 29 – May 3, 2015 Location San Francisco , California , U.S.Course(s) TPC Harding Park Tour(s) PGA Tour European Tour Format Match play – 18 holesPar 71 Length 7,127 yards (6,517 m) Field 64 players Prize fund $ 9,250,000€ 8,487,016Winner's share $1,570,000 €1,440,499 Rory McIlroy def. Gary Woodland , 4 & 2
Location in the United States
The 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play was the 17th WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship , played April 29 – May 3 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco , California . It was the second of four World Golf Championships in 2015 . Top-ranked Rory McIlroy defeated Gary Woodland 4 & 2 in the final, for his second win in a WGC event, after his win in the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational .[ 1]
On September 30, 2014, Cadillac was announced as the new title sponsor.[ 2]
The field consisted of the top 64 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking on April 19. However, the seedings were based on the World Rankings on April 26.[ 3]
Luke Donald (ranked 50 on April 19, personal reasons),[ 4] Tim Clark (ranked 57, injury),[ 4] and Phil Mickelson (ranked 18, personal reasons)[ 5] did not compete, allowing entry for Miguel Ángel Jiménez (ranked 65), Francesco Molinari (ranked 66), and Mikko Ilonen (ranked 67).
Two players made their WGC debut: Andy Sullivan and Ben Martin .
A new format was introduced in 2015. Previously, the Championship was a single elimination match play event. Beginning in 2015, the championship started with pool play, with 16 groups of four players playing round-robin matches, on Wednesday through Friday. There are no halved matches in pool play with extra holes played to determine the winner. The top 16 seeded players were allocated to the 16 groups, one in each group. The remaining 48 players were placed into three pools (seeds 17–32, seeds 33–48, seeds 49–64). Each group had one player randomly selected from each pool to complete the group.[ 6]
The winners of each group advanced to a single-elimination bracket on the weekend, with the round of 16 and quarterfinals on Saturday, and the semi-finals, finals, and consolation match on Sunday.[ 7] If two players are tied at the top of the group, the result of their head-to-head match determines the group winner. If three players are tied, the winner is determined by a sudden-death playoff.
Rank – Official World Golf Ranking on April 26, 2015.
Players were divided into 16 groups of four players and played round-robin matches on Wednesday to Friday.
Round 1 – April 29
Round 2 – April 30
Round 3 – May 1
Notes: Round 1
Of the 32 matches played, 14 were "upsets" with the lower seeded player beating the higher seeded player. These included #3 Henrik Stenson (lost to #60 John Senden ), #6 Justin Rose (lost to #56 Marc Leishman ), #7 Jason Day (lost to #49 Charley Hoffman ), and #9 Adam Scott (lost to #64 Francesco Molinari ).[ 8]
Notes: Round 2
Of the 32 matches played, 16 were upsets. These included #5 Jim Furyk (lost to #44 Thongchai Jaidee ), #7 Day (lost to #38 Branden Grace ), #8 Dustin Johnson (lost to #37 Charl Schwartzel ), #9 Scott (lost to #36 Paul Casey ), and #10 Sergio García (lost to #39 Bernd Wiesberger ). Two players, #13 Rickie Fowler and #60 John Senden , were guaranteed to advance.[ 9] [ 10]
Notes: Round 3
Of the 32 matches played, 18 were upsets. These included #2 Jordan Spieth (lost to #26 Lee Westwood ), #3 Stenson (lost to #23 Bill Haas ), #4 Bubba Watson (lost to #29 Louis Oosthuizen ), #7 Day (lost to #24 Zach Johnson ), #9 Scott (lost to #25 Chris Kirk ), and #10 García (lost to #30 Jamie Donaldson ). Day, Scott and Jimmy Walker were the only top seeds to lose all three matches. Only five of the top seeds advanced: #1 Rory McIlroy , #5 Furyk, #12 J. B. Holmes , #13 Fowler, and #16 Hideki Matsuyama . 12 of the 16 group winners advanced with perfect 3–0 records. Three groups winners advanced based on head-to-head tie-breaker and one group went to a three-way sudden-death playoff. Branden Grace defeated Zach Johnson and Charley Hoffman on the third extra hole in group 7. In Group 11, all six matches of the three rounds were upsets. A total of 18 of the 96 matches went extra holes, causing some to suggest altering the format next year to include halved matches.[ 11] [ 12]
Group 1
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
McIlroy
5 & 4
Dufner
Horschel
5 & 4
Snedeker
2
McIlroy
2 up
Snedeker
Horschel
3 & 2
Dufner
3
McIlroy
20 h
Horschel
Dufner
1 up
Snedeker
Group 2
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Spieth
4 & 2
Ilonen
Westwood
1 up
Every
2
Spieth
4 & 3
Every
Westwood
1 up
Ilonen
3
Westwood
1 up
Spieth
Ilonen
8 & 6
Every
Group 3
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Senden
19 h
Stenson
Haas
3 & 2
Todd
2
Stenson
3 & 2
Todd
Senden
4 & 3
Haas
3
Haas
3 & 1
Stenson
Senden
1 up
Todd
Group 4
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Watson
5 & 4
Jiménez
Oosthuizen
6 & 5
Bradley
2
Watson
4 & 2
Bradley
Oosthuizen
2 up
Jiménez
3
Oosthuizen
19 h
Watson
Jiménez
2 up
Bradley
Group 5
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Furyk
3 & 2
Coetzee
Kaymer
3 & 1
Jaidee
2
Jaidee
3 & 1
Furyk
Coetzee
19 h
Kaymer
3
Furyk
20 h
Kaymer
Coetzee
21 h
Jaidee
Group 6
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Leishman
3 & 2
Rose
Lahiri
4 & 2
Palmer
2
Rose
19 h
Lahiri
Leishman
4 & 3
Palmer
3
Rose
2 & 1
Palmer
Leishman
1 up
Lahiri
Group 7
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Hoffman
4 & 3
Day
Z. Johnson
2 up
Grace
2
Grace
4 & 3
Day
Hoffman
2 & 1
Z. Johnson
3
Z. Johnson
3 & 2
Day
Grace
2 & 1
Hoffman
Grace won sudden-death playoff with a birdie on the third hole.
Group 8
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
D. Johnson
3 & 1
Jones
Schwartzel
5 & 4
Dubuisson
2
Schwartzel
20 h
D. Johnson
Jones
2 up
Dubuisson
3
D. Johnson
2 & 1
Dubuisson
Schwartzel
20 h
Jones
Group 9
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Molinari
5 & 4
Scott
Casey
22 h
Kirk
2
Casey
1 up
Scott
Kirk
2 & 1
Molinari
3
Kirk
1 up
Scott
Casey
1 up
Molinari
Group 10
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
García
2 up
Fleetwood
Donaldson
1 up
Wiesberger
2
Wiesberger
2 & 1
García
Fleetwood
21 h
Donaldson
3
Donaldson
2 & 1
García
Fleetwood
19 h
Wiesberger
Group 11
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Woodland
19 h
Walker
Simpson
3 & 2
Poulter
2
Simpson
19 h
Walker
Woodland
3 & 2
Poulter
3
Poulter
4 & 2
Walker
Woodland
1 up
Simpson
Group 12
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Warren
2 & 1
Holmes
Koepka
1 up
Henley
2
Holmes
19 h
Henley
Koepka
20 h
Warren
3
Holmes
2 & 1
Koepka
Henley
1 up
Warren
Group 13
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Fowler
1 up
English
Lowry
1 up
McDowell
2
Fowler
1 up
Lowry
English
2 & 1
McDowell
3
Fowler
5 & 4
McDowell
English
1 up
Lowry
Group 14
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Martin
1 up
Kuchar
Mahan
7 & 6
Gallacher
2
Kuchar
3 & 2
Gallacher
Mahan
5 & 3
Martin
3
Mahan
5 & 4
Kuchar
Martin
20 h
Gallacher
Group 15
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Reed
2 & 1
Sullivan
Willett
3 & 2
Moore
2
Willett
2 & 1
Reed
Sullivan
3 & 2
Moore
3
Reed
1 up
Moore
Willett
1 up
Sullivan
Group 16
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
1
Matsuyama
5 & 4
Lévy
Luiten
19 h
Na
2
Matsuyama
2 up
Luiten
Na
3 & 1
Lévy
3
Matsuyama
5 & 4
Na
Luiten
1 up
Lévy
The match between Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey was completed on May 3 having been all square after 21 holes when it became too dark to continue.
Prize money breakdown [ edit ]
Place
Description
US ($)
1
Champion
1,570,000
2
Runner-up
930,000
3
Third place
646,000
4
Fourth place
520,000
T5
Losing quarter-finalists x 4
285,000
T9
Losing round of 16 x 8
150,000
T17
Those with 2–1 record in pool play x 17
85,824
T34
Those with 1–2 record in pool play x 18
63,500
T52
Those with 0–3 record in pool play x 13
49,385
Total
9,250,000
^ "Rory McIlroy wins WGC Match Play by beating Gary Woodland" . BBC Sport . May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015 .
^ "Cadillac new title sponsor of WGC-Match Play" . PGA Tour . September 30, 2014.
^ "Mickelson withdraws from WGC-Cadillac Match Play" . PGA Tour. April 26, 2015.
^ a b "Tim Clark (elbow) withdraws from Match Play Championship" . ESPN . Associated Press. April 23, 2015.
^ Sobel, Jason (April 27, 2015). "Phil Mickelson pulls out of Match Play, cites personal reasons" . ESPN .
^ "WGC-Cadillac Match Play's new drawing process" . PGA Tour. March 18, 2015.
^ "Match Play gets new format for '15" . ESPN . Associated Press. July 2, 2014.
^ Harig, Bob (April 30, 2015). "Jordan Spieth handles Mikko Ilonen to advance in WGC-Cadillac Match Play" . ESPN .
^ Harig, Bob (April 30, 2015). "Rory McIlroy advances at Match Play, will next face Billy Horschel" . ESPN .
^ "Rickie Fowler assured of advancing at Match Play; Jordan Spieth 2-0" . ESPN . Associated Press. May 1, 2015.
^ "McIlroy rallies to advance in Match Play Championship" . USA Today . Associated Press. May 2, 2015.
^ Sobel, Jason (May 1, 2015). "Five ways to fix the 'new' WGC-Match Play" . ESPN .
^ "Past Results – World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play" . Retrieved March 30, 2021 .
37°43′26″N 122°29′35″W / 37.724°N 122.493°W / 37.724; -122.493