Print this page  |  Close Window

By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

MARANA, Ariz. -- Chris DiMarco's strategy was deceptively simple: Hit first and hit greens.

After all, his opponent in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Brett Wetterich, averages 300.4 yards off the tee. DiMarco, on the other hand, ranks 149th on TOUR at 276.7.

Chris DiMarco won four of his first seven holes on Wednesday. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

CHRIS DIMARCO IN THE

ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY

Year Finish 2006 T9 2005 2 2004 T9 2003 T33 2002 T17 2001 T33

• DiMarco vs. Wetterich Scorecard

So it didn't take a math major to figure out who would be hitting first in the fairway. DiMarco, though, saw that prospect as an advantage that he turned into a 4-and-3 victory on Wednesday.

"I knew I was going to be hitting first into every green, so my goal today, my strategy so to speak, was to hit a ball on the green and have him looking at a ball on the green every time he hit a shot -- preferably closer so that would put the pressure on him," DiMarco explained.

"I know that that is the advantage of being a shorter hitter. I mean, obviously I'm hitting more club in there, but if I can put a ball on the green and hit it in there, it certainly puts the pressure on somebody always seeing a ball on the green."

DiMarco, who is seeded sixth in the Ben Hogan bracket, kept the pressure on with six birdies while Wetterich managed just two. DiMarco won four of the first seven holes to get comfortable at 4 up -- including No. 1 after his tee shot wedged in a cactus.

DiMarco's ball was about "belly button high" in that scrub bush. He was getting ready to swing, baseball-style, when he realized his left foot was on a cart path. DiMarco called for a ruling and was given a drop, then hit his approach 8 feet for birdie.

"I know that the first hole had to be about as demoralizing as could be for him," DiMarco said. "He hit it in there about 7 feet and missed it. So for him to walk off that green one down I'm sure was pretty demoralizing, and for me it was huge. That's how match play is."

Wetterich continued to struggle with his putter, but as it turned out, DiMarco beat him at his own game. Despite giving up considerable distance off the tee, DiMarco won one of the three par 5s on Wednesday, as well as both the driveable par 4s.

"He hit it 80 yards by me on one hole today," DiMarco marveled. "The par 5s I thought were a huge advantage for him, and then two drivable par 4s, and I think I played those holes 3 up, the ones we did play.

"For me to do that against him is huge."

DiMarco lost in the finals of the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2005 and has reached the third round on two other occasions in the last three years. Wednesday's victory was a rare breather for DiMarco during that stretch, though.

Aside from the championship tilt with David Toms, which went 31 of its scheduled 36 holes, DiMarco had played 11 matches over the last three years and had reached the 17th hole seven times and No. 16 on two other occasions. His most lopsided victory was a 6-and-5 win over Arron Oberholser in the second round last year.

"It's a relief to get through any round," DiMarco said. "It seems like I'm always 1 up or even or 1 down and it's a battle going down to the 18th hole. Maybe that's why I'm good at match play because I've had so many matches go down to the 18th hole. You just have to fight and claw and do everything you can to get a hole here or a hole there."

And rest assured, the fiery DiMarco is good at match play. He accounted for 2 ½ points in his Ryder Cup debut in 2004 and DiMarco has a 6-3-1 record at the Presidents Cup -- including a 2-0 mark in singles.

Perhaps the defining moment of his career came in 2005 when he rolled in a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to beat Stuart Appleby and clinch the Presidents Cup for the United States.

DiMarco feels his affinity for match play -- and his reputation as an intense competitor -- give him an edge when he's going head-to-head.

"I love that," he said. "I love the fact that I know that my opponent, whoever it is, knows that I'm going to be on the first tee and I'm going to give it my all the whole day, and they know that."