What Is Match Play?

Match play competitions in sport are head to head matches where opponents try to beat each other in a knockout format.

Most racquet sports such as tennis and other knockout format sports almost always operate as match play ties.

Sports such as golf can be played as stroke play or match play. Stroke play in golf is the lowest total score so every shot counts to the final result.

In match play golf, each hole is its own individual match and players have to win a hole outright. The overall score is not affected by the margin of victory on a single hole or if a player fails to complete a hole. They just lose that hole and the match continues on the next hole with both players starting level. See match play golf for scoring rules.

Most match play competitions are run as single elimination knockout tournaments. However the Match Play Matrix® format is a match play competition where every player plays every round.

Find out more about Match Play Matrix®