Scoring is kept by comparing the holes won by each player. If each has won the same number of holes, the match is said to be "all square". If you have won 4 holes and your opponent has won 3, you are said to be "1-up" while your foe is "1-down."
Final score reflects the margin of victory and the hole at which the match ended. If the match goes the full 18 holes, the score would be 1-up or 2-up. If it ends before the 18th, the score would look like "3-and-2" (the winner was 3 holes up with only two holes to play, thus ending the match early).
When a match is dormie, the final score can sometimes appear odd. For example, a player wins 5-and-3; that is, the winner was 5 holes up with 3 holes to play. Then why didn't the match end with four holes to play? Because the match was dormie with four holes to play - the leader was 4 holes up with 4 holes to play. Winning the next hole produces a final score of 5-and-3. A state of dormie on hole No. 17 - 1-up with 1 to play - is what produces a final score of 2-up.
For More on Match Play, See: Match Play Primer
