Match Play Moving To Austin, Taking Down Bay Hill With It!

Doug Ferguson puts the finishing touches on the rumored move of the WGC Match Play to Austin for new sponsor Dell.

The venue, Austin Country Club, should be great fun for match play theatrics (dreadful for spectators, players will cry foul, but there will be many wonderful blimp shots). Particularly if Pete Dye's riverside holes are used as the closing stretch. Either way, it's a fascinating choice and one driven by the sponsor and the chance to go to a thriving city.

What I love most about this news?

The west coast swing was already hurt by moving the match play as its anchor event. But now the PGA Tour is going to move this to a March date situated between Bay Hill and the Shell Houston Open. This could hurt Bay Hill's field and makes clear the PGA Tour is far more excited about closing the deal on a new sponsor rather than being considerate of the ones they already have. Because as much as we love having match play, raining on Arnold Palmer's parade in any way seems mildly rude, if not downright short-sighted.

Good to know it wasn't just an anti-west coast swing thing!