Match Play in Professional Golf

2nd-ranked Jason Day fist-pumps on No. 18 green after defeating 3rd-ranked Rory McIlroy 1-up Easter Sunday morning at the 2016 WGC Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas

(March 28th, 2016) Having played golf for most of my life, I have played almost every kind of format that can played at one time or another. Some of those formats are quite a bit more fun than others, but the one format that always seems to draw me in every time I play it is match play.

As the PGA Tour plays its one match play event of the year, the 2016 World Golf Championships Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club, the interest from golf fans across the country seems to heighten a bit more than it would for a stroke play tournament with the exceptions of the four major championships and the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Format of Match Play

The best way to describe the format of match play is to contrast it to that of stroke play (a more thorough explanation is given in the link). To use and expand on an old piece of golf wisdom my father gave me when I first started playing tournament golf, almost all of which is done in a stroke play format at the junior level, which was, "don't worry about the guys you're playing with. It's a battle between you and the golf course." My dad hit the nail on the head as it pertains to stroke play, but in a nutshell, match play is "a battle between you and the other guy."

In other words, the only person you're required to beat when playing match play is the guy you're up against. It doesn't matter whether you shoot two strokes over par on a given hole or two strokes under par as long as you beat the guy you're up against on that particular hole.

This format tends to produce a great deal of one-on-one matchups between heavyweights of the game, a perfect example of this being the matchup between 2nd-ranked Jason Day of Australia and 3rd-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. First-class matchups like the aforementioned generate a lot of interest from golf fans and thus, high television ratings.

The History of Match Play at the Professional Level

Match play was once a highly popular format that was played at both the professional and amateur levels. In fact, it is still quite prevalent in the amateur game, with the U.S. and British Amateurs, the two most prestigious tournaments in amateur golf, both using a match play format, among a host of other high-profile amateur events.

At the professional level however, its popularity has waned. Many of the early tournaments in the infancy of the PGA Tour were held in the match play format. The fourth major of the calendar year, the PGA Championship, played by professionals only unlike the other three majors in which amateurs may qualify or be invited to play, was held in the match play format from its inception in 1916 to 1957, after which the format switched to the traditional stroke play.

Today, the only PGA Tour event which carries on the rich legacy of match play is the World Golf Championships Dell Match Play being played this week. That's one out of forty-seven events on the PGA Tour this year.

The two team competitions, the Ryder Cup (United States vs. Europe every even-numbered year) and the Presidents Cup (United States vs. International (non-Europe) every odd-numbered year) both have match play segments on the final day of play to determine the winners of the cup. Both tournaments, the Ryder Cup moreso than the Presidents Cup, are perennial favorites of golf enthusiasts across the world. But neither are considered official PGA Tour events and are only played by the top twelve players of each respective group.

How Match Play Could Help Golf

I am of the opinion that match play could help the state of the game of golf significantly. And there are a couple of things that could be done.

My first proposal is to revert the PGA Championship back to a match play format. A study done by a writer at Forbes shows that the PGA Championship is considered the least prestigious major of the four major championships and garners the lowest TV ratings of the three majors that are played on this side of the pond. Reverting the tournament back to a match play format would generate greater public intrigue and set the tournament apart from the other three majors.

My second proposal is to promote match play at local courses. The nature of match play doesn't require players to hole out to complete the hole as well as most matches taking less than 18 holes to play. Such would speed up the pace of play, especially at public and municipal golf courses, which would retain a greater number of casual golfers, who often cite the duration of time it takes to play as reason for quitting the game. The PGA Championship becoming a match play event would give the format credibility to the average golfer and make them more willing, if not eager to try the format for themselves.


Match play is a fantastic format that gives a different, more personal twist to the game of golf while still adhering to the traditions that make golf so great. A renaissance in the popularity of the format could in my opinion provide a spark to a game that's growth has been stagnant over the last few years.

The Miami Dolphins Offseason Thus Far

Fortunately for Dolphins fans everywhere, we no longer have to worry about this happening again.

(March 21st, 2016) Coming off a disappointing season after being expected to contend for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs, if not for the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins are making a great deal of changes to their roster in an effort to become more competitive within their division and end their postseason woes, having been to the playoffs only three times in the millennium and not once since 2008.

A Change in Leadership 

The Dolphins finished the 2015 season 6-10, and in the process of the season fired head coach Joe Philbin and replaced him with tight ends coach Dan Campbell. While Campbell created an atmosphere of energy which was evident on the field especially in his first two games at the helm, Campbell finished 5-7 as opposed to Philbin's 1-3 record in the first four games of the season and the Dolphins front office chose not to retain him, instead hiring former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase as their new head honcho.

I love the move to hire Gase because he has worked with good NFL quarterbacks in the past, having coached Jay Cutler last year and having worked with all-time great Peyton Manning in his time as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos. I believe Gase will bring his wealth of knowledge and experience with Manning and Cutler and use it to greatly improve the play of Ryan Tannehill. who will be in his fifth year as the Dolphins' quarterback having signed a $96 million contract extension in May of last year.

Owner Stephen Ross and VP of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum also hired Chris Grier as the organization's new general manager, another move I love because of Grier's past experience as the Dolphins' Director of College Scouting, which points to the organization improving primarily through the draft and secondarily through free agency.

Before this year's coming NFL Draft in late April however, Tannenbaum and Grier have made some heads turn with their offseason additions.

Trade and Free Agency Extravaganza

Let's start with what has been lost, since then it is easier to understand why certain acquisitions were made.

Departing this year is last year's leading rusher Lamar Miller to the Houston Texans, second-leading receiver Rishard Matthews, who left Miami for the Tennessee Titans, cornerback Brent Grimes (now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer), wide receiver Greg Jennings (still a free agent), offensive lineman Jacob Fox (free agent), defensive end Quinton Coples (Los Angeles Rams) and cornerback Brice McCain (Tennessee Titans). The team leader in sacks last season, Olivier Vernon, is now a New York Giant and was given the transition tag March 1st by the Dolphins only to have it taken away March 9th upon the signing of what in my opinion is the team's most pivotal acquisition of the offseason.

This signing of course is the signing of defensive end Mario Williams to a two-year deal. Williams will provide a huge help to the line alongside Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake and adds to an already prolific pass-rushing group. It also reunites him with the 4-3 defense in which Williams has thrived throughout his career.

The Dolphins also added linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell as well as the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the 8th overall pick in the same draft. Maxwell, a former member of the infamous "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield of the Seattle Seahawks, will start at cornerback while Alonso bolsters an arguably weak linebacker corps.

Former Pro-Bowl offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod was signed to shut what was a revolving door at right offensive tackle last season. If Bushrod can remain healthy, he could be one of the most underrated acquisitions of this entire offseason.

Also signed were defensive end Andre Branch from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will spell both Suh and Wake off the edge, cornerback Chimdi Chekwa (Oakland Raiders), offensive lineman Sam Young (Jacksonville Jaguars), safety Isa Abdul-Quddus (Detroit Lions), wide receiver Griff Whalen (Indianapolis Colts) and defensive end Cleyon Liang (Toronto Argonauts of the CFL), all of whom will provide quality depth at their respective positions.

Looking Forward to the Draft

In the wake of these offseason additions, the Dolphins still have holes to fill, and this draft should serve to plug most of those holes. Originally slotted to draft 8th overall, the franchise now holds the 13th overall pick after the trade with the Eagles for Maxwell and Alonso.

The primary needs the organization needs to meet are those at cornerback, both the tackle and guard positions along the offensive line, running back and defensive end.

I believe the biggest need out of these three is that of the cornerback position. While my favorite prospect in the entire draft is Jalen Ramsey, the cornerback/safety/nickelback extraordinaire out of Florida State, it is highly unlikely he falls out of the top 5. In fact, it is rumored that Ramsey is the current favorite to be the 1st overall pick in the draft. Rather, a more likely target at that position would be Vernon Hargreaves III out of Florida, Mackensie Alexander out of Clemson, or Eli Apple of Ohio State.

Of course, the Dolphins could also look to shore up the offensive line first, picking up Jack Conklin of Michigan State or Taylor Decker of Ohio State and drafting a corner like Baylor's Xavien Howard in the second round.

Whatever decisions Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier decide to make on Draft Day 2016 and beyond, I trust their judgment to do whatever is necessary to bring this team back to the glory days of yesteryear. and get us hoisting the Lombardi Trophy sometime very soon. Having been a Dolphins fan myself since birth and a former resident of South Florida, it would be a fantastic boost to the fanbase and the area to have a perennial winner again in the Miami Dolphins.


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International Golfers Call Oklahoma Christian Home

The brand-new Junior Lorentz Golf Center at Oklahoma Christian University, the only collegiate indoor practice facility of its kind in the state of Oklahoma.

New Beginnings

(March 7th 2016) On a cold, rainy February afternoon in Edmond, about six months after beginning their new lives in the United States, three young college golfers convene to the newly-christened Junior Lorentz Golf Center on the southeast edge of Oklahoma Christian University’s campus to refine their craft, sheltered from the nasty weather which surrounds them outside the indoor practice facility’s walls. The only sounds to be heard are the click of the golf ball flying off the clubface and the Spanish-spoken banter that ensues.

These three young men are Manuel Hernandez, Juan Carlos Pallach, and Alejandro Valenzuela, each of them freshmen and each in their first year as members of Oklahoma Christian’s storied men’s golf program, winners of NAIA National Championships in 2009 and 2011 and currently in their first year of full membership at the NCAA Division II level.

The three came to the United States in the late part of August, each arriving from their homes abroad. Pallach is from the booming metropolis of Mexico City, while Valenzuela calls the town of Cochabamba in the South American country of Bolivia home. Hernandez, called “Manny” by his teammates, hails from Monforte de Lemos, in the northwestern part of Spain situated right above Portugal.

Competitive Drive

They were eager to make a lasting impression on their head coach, David Lynn, and set themselves apart from the four other incoming members of their recruiting class as well as solidify spots in the starting rotation.

Despite the competition amongst them, their new teammates were quick to lend a helping hand with acclimating them to life in the United States.

“My teammates were so good about helping me get used to life here in America and drove me around to take care of things I needed,” Hernandez said.
Making good on Lynn’s investment, all three have enjoyed success at various times in the year.

Hernandez started the year slowly in the fall, but finished tied for fifth place at Oklahoma Christian’s first spring event, the San Antonio Shoot-Out, played February 15^th and 16^th on both courses at TPC San Antonio.

Valenzuela was the only team member, new or returning, to play in all five of the team’s tournaments in the fall and ended the fall season with a scoring average of 75.71 shots per round, good for third-best on the team.

Pallach, who qualified to play in the 2014 Mexican Open and fired a 59 at his home course in Mexico City just before the new year, has played in three tournaments thus far and registered a top-20 finish at the San Antonio Shoot-Out.

Smart On and Off the Course

Golf, however, is not the only thing that brings this group to Oklahoma Christian. All three are academically driven and very good in the classroom. Valenzuela, who scored a 780 on the Mathematics section of the SAT, is majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Pallach in Medical Laboratory Science, and Hernandez in International Business.

Both Valenzuela and Pallach were named on the President’s List of the Heartland Conference’s academic honor roll. Members of the President’s List earned a 3.5 grade point average or higher in the fall semester.

Pallach in particular is very thankful for his opportunity to play college golf while also working towards his degree, in spite of the hardship he, as well as his two other international teammates, face.

"Not being with my family back home has been the hardest part of coming here,” Pallach said. “But having the opportunity to play golf in college and also get my degree was something I couldn’t pass up because that kind of opportunity is not very common at all in Mexico.”

Brotherhood

The three have all assisted each other in getting better and getting used to their new lives in the United States. All three of them are roommates together on campus and provide each other a sense of familiarity and a taste of what they are missing back home.

“When I came here, it was so hard; I had to really think about what I was going to say (in English) before I said it. The speech of the people speaking English has become slower because I have grown used to it,” Hernandez said. “Having Juan Carlos and Alejandro here with me has really helped ease that transition from home to America. Being able to room with and speak Spanish with them makes life easier.”

Valenzuela couldn’t agree more.

“My American teammates helped me very much to get comfortable and adjust to life when I was first here,” said Valenzuela. “But having Juan Carlos and Manny here just makes me feel a little bit like I am still at home.”



As the men’s golf program strives to improve on their 70^th place Division II ranking on golfstat.com after the fall portion of the season and make a move towards the postseason, look for Hernandez, Pallach, and Valenzuela to be chief contributors to the program’s successes both this season and in the years to follow.

You can check on Oklahoma Christian's progress through the rest of the 2015-2016 golf season here.