EuroDov Reporter is pumped following Tour Secretary, David McColgan’s announcement today about the introduction of The Matchplay in 2024.

Matchplay golf is one of the purest forms of competition and with the addition of the individual matchplay format to the Tour, it feels like the event schedule is complete.

As promised the Tour has released a short protocol to help players understand the format better and answer any current questions that may be in players’ heads, with more detail expected in March 2024.

So, let’s take a look at it now.

1. Entry – Players should declare their desire to participate to the Tour Secretary before March 1st 2024. Entry will carry a fee of £10 to cover prize money and engraving.

2. Draw – A randomized draw will be made and communicated to the field no later than March 15th. The draw will create head-to-head matches between 2 players, if an uneven number of players enter, odd players will be given byes accordingly. The draw will be updated by the Tour at the conclusion of matches, and the website updated accordingly.

3. Date of play – Players will be given a window of 3-4 weeks to complete their match, and a suitable date will be agreed between the parties. The Tournament will commence on April 1st and be completed by August 30th, giving a total of 22 weeks to complete the competition.

4. Venue of tie – Players will be responsible for agreeing a suitable venue to play. If the players cannot agree on a venue, then the defending player (the player on the bottom of the bracket in the match) will have the deciding say. However, players should take into consideration the cost implications of venues when picking a venue.

5. Handicaps – Players will use their full WHS course handicaps (adjusted for course) and players will be given full handicap difference [so player 1 with a course handicap of 10 playing player 2 with a course handicap of 3 will receive 7 shots – taken on the 7 hardest holes as identified by stroke index 1 thru 7 on the scorecard.]

6. Match Outcome – The match is over when one player has one more holes than remaining, if the match is halved, the winner is determined by countback defined as the player who last won a hole.

7. Reporting – The loser of the match is responsible for immediately reporting the outcome to the Tour Secretary.

8. Rules – Players are required to adhere to the Rules of Golf as defined by the R&A and the USGA golf. Where an unfamiliar event takes place, players are requested to handle the ruling in the best possible way and in keeping with the spirit of the game, as laid out in Rule 1.