WGC at The Concession: Everything you need to know for Tour's Florida kickoff
While Tiger Woods remains firmly in the thoughts of those associated with golf, the PGA Tour continues to push ahead with the first World Golf Championships of the year.
The WGC-Championship was played in Mexico for the last four seasons, but due to logistical concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been relocated to The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida for 2021.
As with most WGCs, the field is flush with talent, and 47 of the world's top 50 players are teeing it up on Thursday.
When: Feb. 25-28
Where: Bradenton, Florida
How to watch
| Date | Channel | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Thurs. Feb. 25 | Golf Channel | 1-6 p.m. |
| Fri. Feb. 26 | Golf Channel | 1-6 p.m. |
| Sat. Feb. 27 | Golf Channel | 12-2:30 p.m. |
| NBC | 2:30-6 p.m. | |
| Sun. Feb. 28 | Golf Channel | 12-2:30 p.m. |
| NBC | 2:30-6 p.m. |
Recent results
Patrick Reed is the defending champion after outdueling Bryson DeChambeau south of the border last year.
Dustin Johnson has historically dominated this event, winning two of the four tournaments in Mexico, and once at Doral prior to the WGC-Championship's relocation in 2017.
Club de Golf Chapultepec will be missed. The venue was the scene for some iconic moments in its short stint hosting the tournament, including Justin Thomas' hole out on the 18th to force a playoff versus Phil Mickelson in 2018, and Tiger's magical bunker shot in 2019.
Previous winners
2020: Patrick Reed (-18) over Bryson DeChambeau
2019: Dustin Johnson (-21) over Rory McIlroy
2018: Phil Mickelson (-16) in playoff over Justin Thomas
2017: Dustin Johnson (-14) over Tommy Fleetwood
2016: Adam Scott (-12) over Bubba Watson
2015: Dustin Johnson (-9) over J.B. Holmes
2014: Patrick Reed (-4) over Jamie Donaldson, Bubba Watson
2013: Tiger Woods (-19) over Steve Stricker
The field
The only two players among the world's top 50 who won't be in attendance are Tiger and Paul Casey.
Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are a few notables who won't be participating due to their current world ranking.
But with Johnson, Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Xander Schauffele in action, to name a few, this field resembles what's seen at a major championship, and it should produce an elite-level champion.
Featured groups (all times ET)
Group: Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa
Thursday - 11:31 a.m.
Friday - 12:37 p.m.
Group: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger
Thursday - 11:42 a.m.
Friday - 12:48 p.m.
Group: Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Viktor Hovland
Thursday - 12:37 p.m.
Friday - 11:31 a.m.
Group: Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama
Thursday - 12:48 p.m.
Friday - 11:42 a.m.
The full list of groups and tee times can be found here.
The course
The Concession Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course set to host a PGA Tour event for the first time. The 7,564-yard par 72 looks a lot like other Florida courses, with plenty of water and few elevation changes. However, many of the greens at The Concession are undulating. That could make the long course play difficult if the fairways and greens are firm.
The Concession also hosted the 2015 NCAA Championship, which DeChambeau won.
Betting corner
Dustin Johnson +600
Jon Rahm +700
Xander Schauffele +1000
Rory McIlroy +1500
Tony Finau +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1600
Justin Thomas +1600
Brooks Koepka +2000
Daniel Berger +2200
Tyrrell Hatton +2200
Viktor Hovland +2300
Webb Simpson +2300
Patrick Reed +2500
Joaquin Niemann +3000
Sungjae Im +3500
Collin Morikawa +4200
Scottie Scheffler +4200
Harris English +4500
Hideki Matsuyama +4500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +5000
(Odds source: theScore Bet)