Defending champion Dustin Johnson makes 2017-18 PGA TOUR season debut

Austin, Texas – Dustin Johnson, the winner of last year’s Dell Technologies Match Play and the No. 1-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking, is set to make his PGA TOUR season debut this week at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, the first of four World Golf Championships events of the PGA TOUR season. Of the last eight World Golf Championships events, Johnson, the 2013 HSBC Champions winner, has won four. Joining him this week in the HSBC Champions field from the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking are Hideki Matsuyama (4), Jon Rahm (5), Jason Day (8), and Henrik Stenson (9).

The Dell Technologies Match Play, the third of four World Golf Championships events during the 2017-18 season, returns to Austin Country Club on March 21-25, with tickets currently on sale. Thirty seven of the 78 players set to compete at the HSBC Champions would currently be qualified inside the top 64 in the world if the Dell Technologies Match Play were held today.

Johnson, a 16-time PGA TOUR winner, is making his season debut after a banner 2017 season that included four victories, including two World Golf Championships titles. The 33-year-old’s first victory of the season came at the Genesis Open in February, with a five-shot victory over Scott Brown. That victory would prove to be the first of three in a row as Johnson reeled off back-to-back World Golf Championships wins at the Mexico Championship and the Dell Technologies Match Play. He added his fourth career FedExCup Playoff victory over world No. 2, Jordan Spieth, at THE NORTHERN TRUST in August on his way to a fourth-place finish in the FedExCup standings.

Johnson’s win at the Dell Technologies Match Play was one of the most dominant in tournament history. The world No. 1 led a tournament-record 94 percent of the holes he played at Austin Country Club and never trailed in the 112 holes he played over seven matches. After cruising to five straight victories to advance to the Semifinals, Johnson found challenging matches in his last two. In the Semifinals, he holed an eight-foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, 1-up, in a thrilling match. Facing off against Jon Rahm in the Championship Match, Johnson raced out to a 5-up lead through eight holes but was forced to hold off the charging young Spaniard with a par at the last for a 1-up victory. With his win in Austin, Johnson became the first player to win each of the four World Golf Championships events.

“Today was really a tough day, a long day, this whole weekend was,” Johnson said following his win. “But I'm proud of how I played, the way I stayed in there. [Rahm] made birdies on the back nine, but I just couldn't get any putts to drop but I'm proud of the way I played.”

For the 2018 Dell Technologies Match Play, a limited number of tickets remain available and can be purchased at WorldGolfChampionships.com or by calling 844-868-7465. Tickets available include weekly grounds badges that grant access to the Austin Country Club grounds and all public venues, fan activations and bleachers. Additionally, Capital City Club badges are available. The ULTRA Club, which is located on the 12th fairway, offers an enhanced venue to follow the action, with several televisions located throughout and open seating for guests to sit and mingle in a relaxed sports bar setting.

Those who purchased tickets are reminded that youth 18 and under will be admitted free all week when accompanied by a ticketed adult (one free youth ticket per each adult ticket will be available). This free ticket only applies for grounds tickets and not upgraded hospitality options. Limited hospitality opportunities remain available. For more information on corporate hospitality venues, call the tournament office at 512-949-5885.

The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most elite and exciting tournaments on golf’s calendar as the Dell Technologies Match Play is one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The Dell Technologies Match Play field annually consists of the very best players from around the world from all Tours and traditionally features nearly all of the top 64 in the world.

The Dell Technologies Match Play has generated more than $17 million for charity since its inception, with the tournament announcing in early October that the 2017 edition raised over $1.1 million for five Austin-based charities.

For more information, follow the tournament’s social pages: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit www.delltechnologiesmatchplay.com.