"Match play" is a competition format in which the round is played with the goal of winning individual holes. For example, on No. 1, you score 4 and your opponent gets a 5 - you win the hole.
Scoring is kept by comparing the holes won by each player. If each has won the same number of holes, the match is said to be "all square". If you have won 4 holes and your opponent has won 3, you are said to be "1-up" while your foe is "1-down".
Final score reflects the margin of victory and the hole at which the match ended. If the match goes the full 18 holes, the score would be 1-up or 2-up. If it ends before the 18th, the score would look like "3-and-2" (the winner has 3 holes up with only two holes to play, thus ending the match early).
At root, match play scoring is very simple: Golfers compete hole by hole and the golfer who wins the most holes wins the match. March play matches do not have to go the full 18 holes. They often do, but just as frequently one player will achieve an imsurmountable lead and the match will end early. Say you reach a score of 6-up with 5 holes to play - you've clinched the victory and the match is over.
The competition will be competed in a "double knockout" format. All players will begin in the top bracket, the losers of their first round matches will move down to the second bracket. The losers of the matches in the second bracket will be eliminated from competition. The competition will continue until 1 player from each bracket competes for the title of Match Play Champion.
The competition will start on April 26th with the first matches and continue weekly until the winners is determined.
In a scheduled match the low handicap player will play to "scratch" and the higher handicap player will receive the difference between the two handicaps.
Example:
Player "A" has a handicap of 10 and Player "B" has a handicap of 18. Player "B" will receive a handicap of 8 shots to be applied to the appropriate holes.
If a player does not compete for a duration of 3 consecutive weeks the match will be awarded to his opponent.
In the event of a tie after completing 18 holes, the regular tie breaking system will be used to determine the winner.
