Rory McIlroy, Players Championship winner Cameron Smith, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Harris English and six-time major champion Phil Mickelson are the five eligible players sitting out of the event; 46 of the world's top 50 still scheduled to feature
Friday 18 March 2022 22:05, UK
Rory McIlroy and new Players Championship winner Cameron Smith have both elected to skip the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, while Bryson DeChambeau has been named in the provisional field.
Only the world's top 64 after eligible to tee it up at Austin Country Club, with McIlroy one of five players currently deciding against playing in the five-day event next week.
McIlroy is taking two weeks instead and will play the Valero Texas Open the following week ahead of The Masters, while Smith is taking the week off to spend time with his family after his victory at TPC Sawgrass.
"We had a long extended week at The Players and I just needed a little break," Smith said in a statement on Wednesday. "I'm enjoying my last week with Mum and my sister Mel prior to them departing home for Australia."
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama sits out, having withdrawn from The Players with a back injury last week, with the Japanese player hoping to return to fitness in time to defend his title at TPC Sawgrass next month.
Harris English still hasn't recovered from his injury to feature in the gruelling tournament, where players spend the first three days competing in round-robin group match play. The winner of each group then progress to the knockout stages over the weekend.
The other notable absentee is Phil Mickelson, who remains on his break from competitive golf after the fall-out around his comments about the PGA Tour and the proposed Saudi-backed golf league.
46 of the world's top 50 have committed to feature in the only World Golf Championship event on the PGA Tour schedule this season, with DeChambeau currently set to make his first appearance since withdrawing mid-tournament at the Saudi International.
DeChambeau has been limited to just three worldwide starts so far during an injury-plagued 2022, where he has been suffering from a left wrist problem, but could now feature in what is the penultimate PGA Tour event before The Masters.
Billy Horschel returns as defending champion after last year's 2&1 victory in the final against Scottie Scheffler, with Kevin Kisner, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson among the tournament's other recent winners also taking part.
Watch the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Wednesday from 2.30pm on Sky Sports Golf.
