It's remarkable how much momentum the PGA Tour has picked up
in a four-day span.
Phil Mickelson broke out of an embarrassing early season slump in a big way Thursday at Riviera, only to be trumped by news of Tiger Woods' return to competitive golf. Mickelson managed to nudge his way back into the spotlight in a very entertaining final round at the Northern Trust Open Sunday.
Padraig Harrington has won the last two major championships. Sergio Garcia is the man closest to Woods according to the Official World Golf Rankings. And, it's Vijay Singh who is the reigning FedEx Cup Champion. But, Mickelson continues to be the man that fans see as the presumptive rival to Woods.
The World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championship will be the first time all five of the aforementioned golfers have been in the same field since they met in San Diego for the 2008 U.S. Open; the last event Woods competed in more than eight months ago.
Wednesday is the opening round of the PGA Tour's lone head-to-head match play event, and while the odds are against a Mickelson-Woods semifinal, wouldn't it be nice to see the two get together. Well, maybe if we all think and wish and pray it might come true; thank you Brian Wilson for the lyrical assist.
Speaking of prayers, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem's appear to be answered. Aside from the recent Ryder Cup and the four annual major championships, this week's event in Arizona has to be the most anticipated golf tournament in recent memory.
This week also allows golf fans, both dedicated and casual, to practice their bracket building skills in preparation for March Madness. Here are my selections for the Accenture Match Play Championship. To view a printable bracket for event, click here. Winners are in bold.
JONES BRACKET
First Round
Tiger Woods vs.
Brendan Jones
Tim Clark vs. Retief Goosen
Rory McIlroy vs. Louis Oosthuizen
Mike Weir vs. Hunter Mahan
Geoff Ogilvy vs. Kevin Sutherland
Trevor Immelman vs. Shingo Katayama
Camilo Villegas vs. Rod Pampling
Miguel Angel Jimenez vs. Rory
Sabbatini
Second Round
Woods vs. Clark
McIlroy vs. Mahan
Ogilvy vs. Immelman
Villegas vs. Jimenez
Round of 16
Woods vs. Mahan
Ogilvy vs. Villegas
Quarterfinals
Mahan vs. Ogilvy
Analysis: Leading
up to the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a lot of experts were skeptical of
Tiger's chances to win at less than 100 percent and without a great amount of
preparation. At the same time, very few counted him out. I think the sentiment
is about the same entering this week's match play event. Those who agree that
this event was ideal for Tiger's return because he only has to focus on one
opponent at a time instead of the field and a few bad holes wouldn't be as
costly as they would in stroke play have valid points. But I believe Tiger's
greatest strength is his ability to mentally overcome his opponents over 72
holes (or 91) on a difficult golf course. In this format, you've only got to be
better than your opponent for 18. We also have yet to see how the Ritz-Carlton
Dove Mountain Golf Club will measure up to PGA Tour talent.
I realize Tiger is 31-6 in this event for his career, but I believe he is as vulnerable as he will be all season this week and he'll lose at some point. If I had to pick one team to win the NCAA basketball championship this season, I'd take North Carolina. If I had to pick one man to win this week, it would be Woods. However, in a one-and-done tournament setting, I'd rather have the field.
Ogilvy beat Woods at the CA Championship last year, and he won the 2006 Accenture Match Play event. Villegas is probably playing the best golf of his career. If they meet in the round of 16, I like the winner to ride that momentum a long way.
HOGAN BRACKET
First Round
Vijay Singh vs.
Soren Kieldsen
Ben Curtis vs. Luke Donald
Ernie Els vs. Soren Hansen
Steve Stricker vs. Dustin Johnson
Phil Mickelson vs. Angel Cabrera
Zach Johnson vs. Graeme McDowell
Lee Westwood vs. Pravad Marksaeng
Stewart Cink vs. Richard Sterne
Second Round
Singh vs. Donald
Els vs. Stricker
Mickelson vs. Johnson
Westwood vs. Cink
Round of 16
Donald vs. Stricker
Mickelson vs. Westwood
Quarterfinals
Stricker vs. Mickelson
Analysis: Using major championship winners as the criteria, the Hogan Bracket is the most difficult with six of the 16 having won majors. The potential second round matchups are outstanding, including a showdown between past Masters winners Mickelson and Johnson.
Because of the deep talent pool, this is probably the most difficult region to predict. I could see as many as 11 different players emerging from this side of the draw. I don't like Vijay or Ernie as both are prone to some big scores, especially in early rounds of tournaments. If all goes well, Mickelson just like Tiger should move on to the Final Four, but as we witnessed at Riviera, seldom does all go well for golf's virtuoso of inconsistency.
I do like Lefty to meet Steve Stricker in the quarterfinals, giving us a Northern Trust Open rematch of sorts. Stricker's biggest challenge might be the rising Dustin Johnson in the first round, but if he's able to get past the Coastal Carolina alum, look for him to make some noise in Marana this week.
PLAYER BRACKET
First Round
Sergio Garcia vs.
Charl Schwartzel
Ian Poulter vs. Jeev Milkha Singh
Justin Rose vs. Boo Weekley
Adam Scott vs. Sean O'Hair
Robert Karlsson vs. Peter Hanson
Alvaro Quiros vs. Stephen Ames
Kenny Perry vs. Matthew Goggin
Paul Casey vs. Aaron Baddeley
Second Round
Garcia vs.
Poulter
Weekley vs. O'Hair
Karlsson vs. Quiros
Perry vs. Baddeley
Round of 16
Garcia vs.
Weekley
Karlsson vs. Perry
Quarterfinals
Garcia vs. Karlsson
Analysis: Despite holding the number two ranking in the world for the last few weeks, Garcia is golf's forgotten man. In a bracket with no major champions, Garcia is the most likely to be in contention for one this season. While he did struggle a bit at Valhalla, Garcia is an excellent match play competitor and I'd imagine he is eager to make up for his uncharacteristic Ryder Cup showing. He'll have to get past Poulter and could face American Boo Weekley in the third round. Do you think Garcia appreciated Boo's Happy Gilmore impersonation last year at Valhalla? Quite honestly, I would be surprised if anyone other than Garcia or the 2008 European Order of Merit winner Robert Karlsson won the Player Bracket. I'd be disappointed if my Weekley-Garcia prediction didn't happen. I have absolutely no faith in Justin Rose or Adam Scott at this point.
SNEAD BRACKET
First Round
Padraig Harrington vs. Pat
Perez
Robert Allenby vs. Ross Fisher
Jim Furyk vs. Anders Hansen
Martin Kaymer vs. Stuart Appleby
Henrik Stenson vs. Davis Love III
Justin Leonard vs. Andrew Romero
Anthony Kim vs. Wen-Tang Lin
K.J. Choi vs. Oliver Wilson
Second Round
Perez vs. Fisher
Furyk vs. Appleby
Love III vs. Romero
Wen-Tang Lin vs. Choi
Round of 16
Perez vs. Furyk
Love III vs. Choi
Quarterfinals
Furyk vs. Choi
Analysis: Anthony Kim's global schedule to start this season will catch up with him this week. I was surprised his first round opponent even has a Wikipedia entry, but it turns out Wen-Tang Lin is an emerging 30-something Taiwanese player who won the 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open, defeating Rory McIlroy in a playoff.
Kim won't be the only other big name in this bracket to go down. Padraig Harrington has missed consecutive cuts at Riviera and Pebble Beach. His first round opponent, Phoenix-native Pat Perez loves desert golf and is still fresh off a breakthrough win at this year's Bob Hope Classic, his first ever on the PGA Tour. Perez is a likely candidate to be this year's Jonathan Byrd. Last year Byrd entered the event as a 16 seed and pasted Ernie Els and Andres Romero in the opening two rounds.
This bracket features a number of very solid veterans and
the 2007 Accenture Match Play champion, Henrik Stenson. Honestly, I wouldn't be
shocked if any one of these 16 players made it through, but I'll go with Jim
Furyk. Look out for K.J. Choi and Davis Love III who are both playing well in
the early stages of 2009.
Final Four
Ogilvy vs.
Stricker
Garcia vs. Furyk
Championship
Ogilvy vs. Garcia
Analysis: Ogilvy is great in this event and overall, I like his demeanor and talent when the world is watching. Remember he beat Tiger in Miami last year to end Woods' winning streak, he has a U.S. Open to his credit and he is a past champion in the Match Play tournament. With that said, I think Garcia is coming in under the radar after a fantastic 2008 campaign. He won at Sawgrass and contended for the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills. It's always difficult to predict such an unpredictable event, so if anything my endorsement of Garcia is a prediction of great success in '09, including his first major championship.