For the first 16 years of its existence, the Match Play mirrored the bracket format of the NCAA Tournament: 64 entrants broken up into quadrants, with each match-up carrying a loser-leaves-town finality. Each player in the group faces the other three in an 18-hole match, with the round-robin winner advancing to the Sweet 16. Conversely, critics now maintain that the pod system detracts from true match play spirit, and a handful of players still grumble about the format.