Accenture shaping as one of the best
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2011 Accenture Match Play Championship | Preview | 22 Feb 2011
The final field for the Accenture Match Play Championship is now confirmed and all but one of the leading 64 golfers in the world ranking as at Feb 13th will be at Dove Mountain in Marana just north of Tucson in Arizona this week.
The only player to withdraw from the event is the Japanese player Toru Taniguchi but given that he was at number 64 in the world the match-ups have hardly been affected. Instead of playing Taniguchi, the world number one seed Lee Westwood will take on first alternate Henrik Stenson.
In recent years at least one of the leading players has been missing for various reasons but in 2011 there is a full complement of the game’s elite which should translate into a top class event.
The field is divided into four groups of four but essentially it is a case on the world number one playing the 64th ranked golfer, the second highest ranked player playing the number 63 and so on and so on.
The leading player in each group is made up of the leading four players in the game. Heading the Bobby Jones group is Lee Westwood who will play Stenson. Heading the Gary Player Group is Martin Kaymer who plays the brilliant Korean teenager Seung Yul Noh, the Sam Snead Group is headed by Tiger Woods who plays recent European Tour winner, Thomas Bjorn and Phil Mickelson plays Australian Brendan Jones in the lead match of the Ben Hogan Group.
The Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain is a Jack Nicklaus designed layout and has been used for at the venue for this event for the past four years. Prior to that and since the event’s inception in 1999, the tournament was held at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad in California.
For the first time in the history of the event all matches will be played over 18 holes, the previous 36 hole final now part of a final day which will incorporate both semi final, consolation and final match ups. This is perhaps best for television and reduces the possibility of a one sided and drawn out final but I am not sure it is the best means of deciding a World Champion.
In the history of the event two players stand out. Tiger Woods has been a three time winner and once runner-up and Geoff Ogilvy has won the event on two occasions and been runner up once. They are the only multiple winners but in 2011 the event is perhaps as wide open as ever.
Defending champion Ian Poulter is not playing as well as he was twelve months ago in the lead up to this event which provides some concern for him and his followers. He has a good record however, reaching the round of 16 or better in five of his seven starts.
Paul Casey has been the beaten finalist in each of the past two years and his recent win in Abu Dhabi indicates that he could do well again. He played well last week in Los Angeles and appears set for a good week.
Rory McIlory made it to the quarter finals in 2009 and was beaten in the third round two in 2010. He has been in fine form of late and I expect him to do well. His game is built around aggression ad while that is not always a formula for success in this format, it can be.
In ten times to the event Phil Mickelson has made it to the quarter finals on only once occasion. He has played solidly enough to date in 2011 but his record in match play is hardly convincing.
Tiger Woods takes on the recent winner of the Qatar Masters Thomas Bjorn and will be hard pressed to hold him out. Woods indifferent and inconsistent form is hard to figure at present and even though Bjorn does not enjoy a great record in the event he might just strike Woods at the right moment.
Martin Kaymer has not made it past the second round in three attempts but as arguably the world’s most improved player in the past twelve months he could do significantly better in 2011. He plays the brilliant Korean Noh Seung-yul in round one although the Korean has missed his last two cuts and might struggle in his first attempt in the event.
Lee Westwood is up against Henrik Stenson and with neither player on top of their games at the moment this might be a case of the last man standing. Westwood was a little better in Dubai two weeks ago but he will have to improve further on earlier effort this year if he is to play up to his ranking.
The Australians are led by Adam Scott who takes on Ben Crane. Scott has played very little since his impressive win in Singapore in November and when he has it has been hardly enough to get excited by. He has not made it past the second round in his last five starts in the event and might face a tough test against Crane who has been solid of late.
Ogilvy is up against Padraig Harrington which in itself is an intriguing match-up. Ogilvy’s record in the event speaks for itself but with a slow start to the year caused by a damaged finger in Hawaii, he has yet to hit his straps in 2011. Harrington has not fared any better, being disqualified in Abu Dhabi and finishing well back in Bahrain and Pebble Beach. Ogilvy gets the nod based on his success in this event.
Jason Day has played very little this year after what had been a good start in Hawaii. Day plays this event for the first time and comes up against Kyung tae Kim. Kim has not played this year and as such Day stands a good chance of moving to the second round.
Richard Green is up against Paul Casey and faces a huge task give Casey’s recent form and his record in this event.
Brendan Jones is another not to have played a tournament this year and he faces a high profile opponent in Mickelson but one with only an average record in this event. Jones is a rare talent who performs well on little preparation however and might have some sort of chance of moving past the first round for the first time in three starts.
The tournament is a fascinating departure from regular tournament golf and provides plenty of winners and losers along the way. That provides tournament fans rapid results which can often be a lure in itself.
