As in other years, the draw for the 2016 Matchplay competition gave us plenty of exciting matchups for the first round. The draw was capably conducted by Messrs Goggin and D Lynch at the Berkley Hills Golf Club of Georgia, with 29 names in the hat. In the Padraig Harrington bracket, the Boland/O’Reilly match looks like the pick of the bunch; Murdock and Smith looks like another battle worth watching, while returnee Adams won’t find it easy against Valentine, especially with Valentine’s recently fattened wallet through another fine skins win. Former champion McDonnell is safely into round 2 on the back of a bye.

 

In the Shane Lowry bracket, current Green Jacket champion Daly will keep his powder dry until the second round. Mahony and O’Driscoll is an intriguing matchup, as is the pairing of Goggin and McGuinness. O’Sullivan will be pleased to have drawn Colman who is still on the mend from his achilles tendon injury. History suggests Goggin should be the one to watch in this bracket.

 

The Rory McIlroy bracket is loaded with GT golfing heavyweights, boasting no fewer than five former Green Tour Major winners. Casey has a bye, allowing him to focus on his political campaigning, while McGill will have the delight of being hosted by McBrearty. M Walsh versus Monahan should be a good match, while Morris and White looks like the matchup of the bracket in the first round.

 

The Graeme McDowell bracket is now slouch, boasting three major winners. Champion Reilly will be expected to account for Mulligan, while Lehane could have a scrap on his hands depending on which Finan shows up. Kearns and McCarthy will be a good contest, while D Walsh and O’Flaherty is a hard match to call.

 

We’re off to the races – first round matches are due for completion by 1-Jun. Note that incomplete matches will be decided by coin toss on that date. Good luck!