USGA Rule 3.2: Match Play: “A form of play where a player or side plays directly against an opponent or opposing side in a head-to-head match of one or more rounds:

• A player or side wins a hole in the match by completing the hole in fewer strokes (including strokes made and penalty strokes), and
• The match is won when a player or side leads the opponent or opposing side by more holes than remain to be played.”

Since 1999, when the World Golf Championships were born, a match-play tournament had been part of the PGA Tour schedule. However, with the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship at Austin Country Club being the last of its kind back in March 2023, the format died in the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, had then confirmed that it will be a consideration moving forward. So far, it hasn’t. But with the US Amateur, which follows a match play format in later rounds, fans’ notions have flipped.

After two days of stroke play narrowed the field to 64, the U.S. Amateur in San Francisco shifted to head-to-head match play. Now, the fans are in for four days of knockout battles leading to a 36-hole championship showdown on the final day. This year, Niall Shiels Donegan and Mason Howell, who won against John Daly II, are among the four advancing into Saturday’s semi-finals. But the talk isn’t only about who wins but how fun it’s been to watch.

Match play is certainly much more exciting than stroke play. It can set up a world No. 64 against a World No. 1 for a showdown to see whose luck works that day. With every hole counting, momentum can shift dramatically, keeping both players and fans on edge. Knockout matches in multiple sports, like, college basketball’s March Madness, are successful for the same reason. It’s bold, risky, dramatic, and every mistake counts at every hole. With no chance to fix things the next day, no one is immune. It is why fans eagerly wait for the biennial Ryder Cup. On the other hand, there is stroke play.

Current PGA Tour events follow a stroke play format, where individuals compete against the entire field to score the least. However, it is also usually believed to be a boring style. But if you remember, match play was removed for certain reasons:

• Match play could be confusing for the traveling players and fans. Especially for the golfers, their accommodation could be a big question mark, with them potentially playing one game of golf if they get knocked out early.
• While the opening rounds, beginning on Wednesdays, would be fun for viewers with players spread across the field, the final days, where only a handful of players competed, became tiresome.
• For the players, the WGC being played in March, very close to the Masters, would not give them enough time to rest and prepare for the major event.
• As the week of the match play grew on, there was less and less action. The results could even become obvious and end up in a dull experience as a whole.

While the group match play format was better than individual knockout rounds, the tournament finally decided on a stroke play format. However, now, the fans miss a match play event in the regular season on the PGA Tour. And with the nail-biting week at the Olympic Club, the frustration is boiling over.

Fans demand changes after watching the U.S. Amateur 2025

Every format style has its ups and downs. However, when everyone’s requirements, from traveling and rest to competition, are factored in, stroke play considerably gains more ground. Still, the excitement the match play format brings is a loophole everyone wants to fill in. Today, it started with Go Get That Pod’s Bobby Blute posting his thoughts. Watching the US Amateur, he summed up his frustration bluntly, “What a catastrophe that Match Play doesn’t have a place in Men’s professional golf.” Soon, everyone followed.

One added, “This tournament always delivers. Complete travesty that no match play in professional golf.” These comments, while highlighting the exciting week at the U.S. Amateur Championship 2025, also hinted that the lack of such a format on the PGA Tour is a glaring hole in its calendar.

The growing sentiment continued with another fan praising the current U.S. Amateur and criticizing professional golf’s current structure. “Match Play is so fun to watch. This @USGA stream right now is all nail biters. Golf tournaments are great. But what if, instead of a direct compete league (LIV), they created a Match Play League!” the fan suggested. While the PGA-LIV saga continues, the fans now want other leagues to fulfill their wish to watch knockout golf. But the question remains, if it does come back, would it be exciting enough to continue for years?

Most of the comments hinted at the PGA Tour for making the change since its removal of the WGC-Dell Match Play in 2023. One fan took the discontinuation almost as a personal loss and expressed, “So looked forward to Dell Match Play—always my favorite besides majors—really sucked when they cancelled.” 

Another plea tagged both the USGA and PGA Tour directly, “@USGA@PGATOUR.We need more match play tournament golf. #usam.” 

With these comments, it’s evident that not only has the week in San Francisco been exciting for fans, but it has also expressed the growing frustration among fans. And we know that it’s often during the Ryder Cup or the Solheim Cup that we witness the most memorable moments because of the head-to-head battles. As the U.S. Amateur nears a thrilling showdown, fans are now left wondering — ‘Why don’t we see more of this?’