Tiger Woods, Chasing 82

AUSTIN, Texas — A quick look at each of the 16 groups that will be in action for the first three days this week at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, along with the tournament records for each of the 64 players in the field. In addition, seven members of the PGATOUR.COM team have predicted their group winners. The seven experts making predictions are staff writers Ben Everill, Sean Martin, Mike McAllister and Cameron Morfit; fantasy writers Rob Bolton and Mike Glasscott; and equipment writer Jonathan Wall. Those 16 players who advance out of the group stage will play in single-elimination action this weekend, with the champion decided on Sunday afternoon.  Players are listed by their seed, with WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play record in parentheses. SCHEDULE | PRINTABLE BRACKET | PLAY OUR BRACKET CHALLENGE Group 1 1. Dustin Johnson, USA (14-9-0) 32. Kevin Kisner, USA (3-3-0) 38. Adam Hadwin, Canada (First appearance) 52. Bernd Wiesberger, Austria (3-6-1) ANALYSIS The move to Austin Country Club has been huge for defending champ Johnson; he’s 10-2 in the two years here after a middling record of 4-7 in his seven previous appearances on other courses. He never trailed at any point last year and in fact led after 94 percent of the holes he played. Kisner and Hadwin have Presidents Cup experience but it’ll be a big surprise if DJ doesn’t emerge from this group. PREDICTION 7 votes for Johnson (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) Group 2 2. Justin Thomas, USA (1-5-0) 21. Francesco Molinari, Italy (2-10-0) 48. Patton Kizzire, USA (1-1-2) 60. Luke List, USA (First appearance) ANALYSIS Thomas’ lone win in six matches in Austin came last year against Chris Wood. Of course, he’s never been in the kind of form he’s displayed since then and already has two wins this season, as well as a playoff loss to Phil Mickelson at the World Golf Championships event in Mexico. Kizzire also has won twice this season, and Thomas and Kizzire rank 1 and 2, respectively, in the FedExCup standings. PREDICTIONS 5 votes for Thomas (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister) 1 vote for Molinari (Wall) 1 vote for List (Morfit) Group 3 3. Jon Rahm, Spain (6-1-0) 28. Kiradech Alphibarnrat, Thailand (2-2) 43. Chez Reavie, USA (First appearance) 63. Keegan Bradley, USA (1-6) ANALYSIS Rahm reached the finals in his first appearance last year before losing to Johnson 1-up after a tremendous rally. He obviously has good vibes around this place, and has three group members with little success in this event. Incidentally, Rahm needed just 90 holes to win his first six matches last year, and his 7-and-5 win over Soren Kjeldsen was the biggest margin of victory in any match a year ago. PREDICTIONS 7 votes for Rahm (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) Group 4 4. Jordan Spieth, USA (9-4-1) 19. Patrick Reed, USA (6-5-1) 34. Haotong Li, China (First appearance) 49. Charl Schwartzel, South Africa (13-9-0) ANALYSIS Will the showdown between Team USA teammates Spieth and Reed on Friday – perhaps the most anticipated group match after Monday’s random draw – actually mean something? Both will need to avoid stumbles in their first two matches. Schwartzel, however, has never made much noise in his nine Match Play appearances, and Li is making his debut in this event. PREDICTIONS 5 votes for Reed (Bolton, Glasscott, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Spieth (Everill, Martin) Group 5 5. Hideki Matsuyama, Japan (6-5-1) 30. Patrick Cantlay, USA (First appearance) 46. Cameron Smith, Australia (First appearance) 53. Yusaku Miyazato, Japan (First appearance) ANALYSIS Matsuyama has failed to get out of group play in his two starts in Austin and has never made much noise in his first Match Play appearances. He has three Match Play rookies in his group, but Cantlay and Smith already have had success on TOUR. PREDICTIONS 5 votes for Cantlay (Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Smith (Bolton, Everill) Group 6 6. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland (22-8-1) 18. Brian Harman, USA (First appearance) 44. Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela (2-1-0) 57. Peter Uilhein, USA (First appearance) ANALYSIS McIlroy is usually a force in this event (he won in 2015, was runner-up in 2012, and reached the semifinals in 2016) and obviously comes in with momentum from his win at Bay Hill. Harman and Uilhein had match play success during their amateur days, and perhaps can draw on that this week to knock off one of the heavy favorites. PREDICTIONS 7 votes for McIlroy (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) Group 7 7. Sergio Garcia, Spain (19-17-1) 20. Xander Schauffele, USA (First appearance) 41. Dylan Frittelli, South Africa (First appearance) 62. Shubhankar Sharma, India (First appearance) ANALYSIS In his 15 previous Match Play appearances, Garcia has made a deep run just one time (2010 when he reached the consolation finals). He’s failed to get out of group play since the format change in 2015, but now he has local ties, is a major champion – and has three players in his group who have never played this event. He has to be the favorite on paper, but it may not be that easy against three young players all eager to take down the Masters champ. PREDICTIONS 4 votes for Garcia (Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Schauffele (Bolton, Everill) 1 vote for Sharma (Glasscott) Group 8 8. Jason Day, Australia (21-9-0) 25. Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa (17-8-0) 42. Jason Dufner, USA (4-9-1) 56. James Hahn, USA (First appearance) ANALYSIS Day and Oosthuizen battled in the 2016 championship match when Austin Country Club hosted the event for the first time. Day won 5 and 4, and it won’t be a surprise to see those two battle for the group title on Friday. Day won all seven matches during his romp to the title two years ago, and only played six holes in his first match last year before withdrawing to deal with family issues. PREDICTIONS 7 votes for Day (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) Group 9 9. Tommy Fleetwood, England (4-4-0) 26. Daniel Berger, USA (1-5-0) 33. Kevin Chappell, USA (1-2-0) 58. Ian Poulter, England (23-14-0) ANALYSIS Poulter is the lowest seeded player in the group but he has the most skins on the wall, having won the Match Play in 2010 and reached the consolation final in 2013. This will be his first appearance in Austin, though. This group could be the most intriguing of all, given Fleetwood’s form and President Cuppers Berger and Chappell. “It’s a brilliant group,” said Paul Casey. PREDICTIONS 4 votes for Fleetwood (Glasscott, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Chappell (Bolton, Martin) 1 vote for Berger (Everill) Group 10 10. Paul Casey, England (20-12-1) 31. Matthew Fitzpatrick, England (3-3-0) 45. Kyle Stanley, USA (1-1-0) 51. Russell Henley, USA (2-3-0) ANALYSIS Casey certainly goes in as the favorite in this group due to his track record in this event (two championship appearances, albeit on a different course) and his form (recent win at Valspar Championship). Casey won all three matches in group stage last year in Austin, so he seems to be warming to the course. “I’ve avoided sort of a monster group,” Casey acknowledged. Stanley is making his first start here in six years. PREDICTIONS 7 votes for Casey (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) Group 11 11. Marc Leishman, Australia (5-6-1) 23. Branden Grace, South Africa (5-7-0) 35. Bubba Watson, USA (14-8-2) 64. Julian Suri, USA (First appearance) ANALYSIS Leishman and Grace have both shown their mettle at the Presidents Cup, but that success hasn’t translated to this event. Watson reached the consolation finals in his first appearance in 2011 but hasn’t done much in his six appearances since then, although he did win his group last year. Suri is the last player in the field, a late entry after Joost Luiten withdrew. PREDICTIONS 3 votes for Leishman (Everill, Martin, Morfit) 3 votes for Grace (Bolton, McAllister, Wall) 1 vote for Watson (Glasscott) Group 12 12. Tyrrell Hatton, England (2-1-0) 22. Charley Hoffman, USA (3-4-0) 36. Brendan Steele, USA (1-1-1) 55. Alexander Levy, France (0-3-0) ANALYSIS A wide-open group on paper, although Hatton certainly comes off a strong performance in Mexico with a T-3 finish. But none of the four have substantial success or experience in this event. This will be Hoffman’s first match play tournament since appearing in the Presidents Cup last year, so it will be interesting to see if that experience will help him this week. PREDICTIONS 3 votes for Hoffman (Bolton, Glasscott, Martin) 2 votes for Hatton (Everill, Wall) 2 votes for Steele (McAllister, Morfit) Group 13 13. Alex Noren, Sweden (5-3-0) 29. Tony Finau, USA (First appearance) 39. Thomas Pieters, Belgium (2-2-2) 61. Kevin Na, USA (3-4-1) ANALYSIS Noren reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual champion Johnson, and Na also won his group a year ago. In the last two years in Austin, Na has beaten Justin Thomas and halved with Rory McIlroy, so that could give him confidence. Finau and Pieters are big hitters, and seeing Johnson win last year may provide a gameplan for navigating Austin Country Club. PREDICTIONS 3 votes for Pieters (Everill, Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Noren (Bolton, Glasscott) 2 votes for Finau (Martin, McAllister) Group 14 14. Phil Mickelson, USA (22-13-0) 17. Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain (8-4-1) 40. Satoshi Kodaira, Japan (First appearance) 59. Charles Howell III, USA (7-10-0) ANALYSIS Mickelson won the most recent World Golf Championships event in Mexico to end his five-year drought, and he reached the quarterfinals last year after four dominant wins. Howell won his group last year, beating Cabrera Bello 1 up along the way, so the Spaniard gets a chance to avenge that loss on Thursday. Cabrera Bello reached the semifinals in 2016 before losing to Louis Oosthuizen. PREDICTIONS 6 votes for Cabrera Bello (Bolton, Everill, Glasscott, Martin, McAllister, Wall) 1 vote for Mickelson (Morfit) Group 15 15. Pat Perez, USA (3-3-0) 24. Gary Woodland, USA (7-5-0) 37. Webb Simpson, USA (7-7-0) 50. Si Woo Kim, Korea (1-1-1) ANALYSIS Perez’s 2017 appearance was his first in this event in eight years, and he failed to advance out of group play. Simpson has failed to get out of group play in two appearances since the format change. Woodland reached the championship final in 2015, losing to Rory McIlroy, but did not get out of group play last year. Kim, the reigning PLAYERS champ, has not been in contention in his first five WGC appearances. PREDICTIONS 4 votes for Woodland (Everill, McAllister, Morfit, Wall) 3 votes for Simpson (Bolton, Glasscott, Martin) Group 16 16. Matt Kuchar, USA (21-8-2) 27. Ross Fisher, England (8-6-0) 47. Yuta Ikeda, Japan (0-4-1) 54. Zach Johnson, USA (14-14-0) ANALYSIS Kuchar won this event in 2013 when it was held in Arizona, but hasn’t made a deep run since. Fisher reached the consolation match in his first appearance in 2009, and he made some noise last year before losing to the quarterfinals, so he has a tendency to make noise in this event. Johnson has won his group in each of the previous two years in Austin, so he’ll look to extend that streak. PREDICTIONS 3 votes for Johnson (Bolton, Glasscott, Martin) 2 votes for Kuchar (Morfit, Wall) 2 votes for Fisher (Everill, McAllister)

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"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" - Dr Seuss Bubba Watson stood on the first tee at Torrey Pines last month doing socially distant interviews about Linksoul, the lifestyle clothing brand. He had just become a major investor, and now he shuffled back and forth and spoke quickly, and with limited eye contact. Then his energy lifted to almost comic proportions, words spilling from his mouth with fervor as - even if only briefly - he looked you in the eye with vitality. To the casual observer, the shifting, twitchy Watson could have come off as dismissive or even arrogant. His excitement could have been just PR spin. Both assumptions would have been wrong. Being misunderstood has plagued Watson his entire life, and this scene provided clues as to why. His exhibited behavior was not new for the three-time Genesis Invitational winner - in fact it was textbook for someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or anxiety issues. Watson has both. To try to understand Watson is to try to understand both conditions. "In the past there were times I’ve slipped up and people have blasted me... people have made fun of me," says Watson, who will play in a threesome with Dustin Johnson and defending champion Adam Scott at Riviera Country Club on Thursday and Friday. "And it definitely is hurtful. The big thing for me now is I'm accepting it more. One of the many problems was I held things in for so long that it hurt me. It hurt when people would write things about me without knowing me. "Now I'm at a point where I can say let’s just talk about it," he continues. "I don't need to hide that I'm a man who sometimes cries. I'm a man with issues just like everybody else. There’s ups and downs to life, no matter if you’re a TOUR golfer or a person that nobody ever sees. "It's OK to not be OK sometimes." Mental health has often taken a back seat in life, but those who suffer from anxiety disorders can tell you it's always front-of-mind. Watson suffers from social and generalized anxiety - he has trouble in large crowds and feels self-conscious and judged in social settings. The condition has proven especially challenging for an elite athlete who performs in front of the world. Remember when Watson won the 2012 Masters by hooking a wedge shot out of the trees at the 10th hole? As he ventured outside the gallery ropes his main stressor was not how he would win the playoff but his close proximity to the patrons. The shot - which seemingly hooked at a right angle to the green, setting up his eventual victory - didn't bother him. Self-taught, highly visual, and unusually adept at working the ball both ways, Watson was used to making such magic. Anxiety has been a part of his life for some time, but roughly two years ago it started getting worse. He couldn't sleep, lost weight and even feared for his life. Sometimes he thought of his former Green Beret father, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder before dying of cancer in 2010. A few times Watson thought he was having a heart attack and was hospitalized. All along he was also letting the negative opinions of others seep into his soul, and his game suffered. Although he won three times in 2018, it is perhaps no surprise that he hasn't won since. "I thought I was going to die, and my mental issues had a good hold on me for a while," Watson says. "I went down to 162 pounds" - he is 6 feet, 3 inches tall - "and then I quit checking my weight because it was also stressing me out. But I fought out of it and came back from it." These days Watson says he is also more accepting of the good he's done in his life. He knows he's trying to be a good father and husband and is keenly focused on charitable undertakings. His deal with Linksoul is as much to do with continued growth as a person as it is with his bottom line. Watson expects to personally evolve from it in ways he might not even be able to predict. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Unknown. Thousands of critics, be they viewers, keyboard warriors (this correspondent included) or even his peers, have fallen into the trap of passing judgement on Watson without the full story. We've judged the 12-time PGA TOUR winner not just on his ability to curve the ball in all manner of self-taught and head scratching ways (genius), but also by some isolated behaviors. "Absolutely he’s misunderstood as any person that’s on TV for brief moments can be," says his caddie Ted Scott. "Sometimes the world demands perfection and that’s not something that exists. I don’t want to tell somebody what they should or should not think about Bubba Watson. "But I'd suggest," he continues, "trying to get to know him. Look at his character off the course before making snap judgements. With minimal digging you'll see that he’s a man of faith. He’s adopted two kids. He’s happily married. He’s very involved in charity. The man has a massive heart." Fellow Scottsdale resident Aaron Baddeley insists Watson is one of the TOUR's nice guys. "At the 2011 Presidents Cup I hit a bad tee shot that caused us to lose the last hole to halve our match," Baddeley says. "I was pretty gutted. The first guy who came up to me with kind words was Bubba from the opposite team. Not many people would do that. Sometimes people don’t see his true self or just don’t want to see it. For whatever reason they’ve made their mind up ahead of time. But I know he's someone I can always trust because his heart is always in the right place." Despite the lavish praise from friends, Watson is the first to admit he hasn't always exhibited his best self in public. He doesn't look to offer up excuses, but the fact is he has some. While some would claim ADHD isn't a real medical condition and those who have it are just lazy attention seekers who need to try harder, in reality ADHD can manifest differently in individuals. Firstly, it's not about a want for attention at all. It is a disorder that brings heightened levels of hyperactive or impulsive behaviors and makes focus on single tasks difficult. Yet it is important to note that ADHD does not mean an inability to focus completely. Quite the opposite, those with the condition often exhibit hyper focus in areas where their passions lie. Swimmer Michael Phelps and musician Adam Levine are part of the hyper-focused ADHD crew. It has been said that golf - in which players can intermittently let their attention wander and then laser in on a shot when necessary - is in fact the perfect ADHD sport. This would explain why Watson is great at his sport, and also why his list of investments, plus his varied off-course endeavors, read very different to many TOUR pros. Watson has put his money behind a candy shop, a car dealership, a driving range, a minor league baseball team and now Linksoul - all places where he finds joy. He knows that if he invests outside his passions, even if they may be prudent investments, he won't make the connections that help him grow. Linksoul brands itself as a lifestyle rather than an apparel company, and while its roots are in golf it doesn't follow the traditional golf-attire rout. Instead, it embraces itself as a philosophy. Co-founded by John Ashworth, the company has distanced itself from corporate rigidity and operates under the assumption that if one enjoys their life, they'll in turn enjoy their work. "I just love what their spirit is and what they’re trying to create," Watson says of the partnership. "I feel what their energy is, and the fact it is a mesh between the business world and the play world speaks to me and the phase of life I'm moving into now. "I want to continue to learn about business," he adds, "and people will see that I’m actually intelligent and understand business and how things work and how things can go forward." "I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison. Watson doesn't mention intelligence by accident. He knows there are people who think he lacks it, and he admits he may have deliberately, and unwittingly at times, fueled those misperceptions. It was the easier role to play. Even his infamous Golf Boys character fit that bill. "I portrayed a story for a while," he says. "When I first came out on TOUR, I was hard-headed and it takes me a while to learn things, to see things in certain ways, to act in certain ways. I wasn’t prepared for it. Intelligent might not be the right word, but I hope people see that I’m actually smarter than I portray sometimes. I want the world to see that I actually am smart, and the things I try to do have thought behind them and are about connecting with my passions. "I try to do things in a way I find fun and engaging - it might be different to what people see as normal but I'm finding out it speaks to others who might sit outside the traditional golf bubble." It certainly does. Watson has always used social media, and these days TikTok is falling in love with his antics. At the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks ago, during a practice round, Watson hit a bunker shot at the famed 16th hole before being joined by influencers Joey Reed and Tosha to do their viral dance to the song "Wrap Me In Plastic." Traditional golf fans weren't all that impressed, but the video has over 1.5 million views and is crossing over well beyond "the traditional golf bubble." "To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting," - E.E. Cummings Watson is putting his new personal growth to the test by trying to ignore the haters and take the road Cummings described. He is buoyed by the progress of society, which increasingly doesn't see "different" as such a bad word. He says he's up for the fight on the course, too, as he looks to make the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2018. He sits 76th in the FedExCup heading to Los Angeles' storied Riviera Country Club, one of his happy places after winning there in 2012, 2014 and 2018. With two Masters titles among his 12 TOUR wins, he has given some thought to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He needn't worry - he is almost certainly heading for St. Augustine at some point. Watson also hopes his evolution as a person can also help him open the door to another goal. "I’d really like to be considered as a Presidents Cup and or Ryder Cup captain and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to be in that space," he says. He certainly knows the terrain, having played on two winning Presidents Cup teams (2011, 2015). On the four occasions he played in the Ryder Cup (2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018) the U.S. was defeated by Europe. In 2016, he acted as an assistant to captain Davis Love III as the U.S. won at Hazeltine. Watson calls it "the most fun and the most thrilling moment" he's had in golf. Steve Stricker will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team later this year at Whistling Straits, with Love III recently announced as the 2022 Presidents Cup captain. Watson sent a congratulatory text that also included a reminder of his skills as an assistant should he not make the team. Golfer, candy man, car salesman, captain, voluntary assistant captain, Linksoul ambassador. Why fit in when you were born to stand out? Why, indeed.

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