Round 2 Capsules: Accenture Match-Play ChampionshipFeb. 20, 2008 Match No. 33
Adam Scott (2) vs. Woody Austin (10)
Bracket: Ben Hogan
Tee Time: 11:15 a.m. ET
What to watch for: Austin was dominant in beating Toru Taniguchi 6 and 5, but now he faces a much more accomplished player in Scott, who finished third in the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2003 and has a 13-6 record overall. Scott has been working on a swing adjustment with Butch Harmon, but it held up under the heat of competition in a 2-and-1 win over Brendan Jones. Things will only get tougher as the week progresses. Austin has the heart, but the sweet-swinging young Aussie is the proven commodity. Match No. 34
Sergio Garcia (3) vs. Boo Weekley (11)
Bracket: Ben Hogan
Tee Time: 11:27 a.m. ET
What to watch for: Garcia prevailed over John Senden 3 and 2 on Wednesday while using both a short putter and a belly putter. He started working with putting guru Stan Utley on Tuesday, and while he's encouraged, he wasn't totally comfortable with the short stick over the closing holes. Weekley, on the other hand, got stronger as the match went on -- making birdie on the first four holes as he made the turn and beat the up-and-comer Martin Kaymer 2 and 1. This is the American's debut, but he's making a career out of surprising people and Thursday could bring another one. Match No. 35
Colin Montgomerie (15) vs. Charles Howell III (10)
Bracket: Sam Snead
Tee Time: 11:39 a.m. ET
What to watch for: It's hard to conjure up a better practicioner of match play than Montgomerie, the Ryder Cup mainstay who thrives on the head-to-head competition. Wednesday was no exception as he rose to the occasion and took a 3-and-2 win over the game's No. 6 player in Jim Furyk. Monty's motivated, too, since he's slipped to what he called a "lowly" 60th in the world and is no longer a lock for the upcoming Masters or THE PLAYERS Championship. Howell rallied from 2 down with two to play to earn the hard-fought victory on the first extra hole with Stephen Ames -- winning the 17th with an eagle and the 18th and 19th with birdies. Match No. 36
Padraig Harrington (3) vs. Stewart Cink (6)
Bracket: Sam Snead
Tee Time: 11:51 a.m. ET
What to watch for: This is a rematch of last year's second round when Cink took a 1-up victory over the Irishman. Harrington made seven birdies in his 4-and-3 win over Jerry Kelly in the first round but the reigning British Open champ still feels he's a "little bit rusty." While Harrington was in control from the outset, Cink did his damage on the back nine in the 4-up win over Miguel Angel Jimenez. The American squared the match with birdie on the ninth, then won three of his next five holes with an eagle and a birdie to pave the way to victory. Match No. 37
Bradley Dredge (15) vs. Paul Casey (7)
Bracket: Bobby Jones
Tee Time: 12:03 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Don't bet against Dredge in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship. He took down top-seeded Ernie Els last year and followed that with a 4-and-3 win over No. 2 Rory Sabbatini this year. However, he didn't advance past the second round last year and he faces a solid performer in Casey on Thursday. Casey made nine birdies in his 2 up win over Robert Karlsson, who answered with seven of his own. "It did sort of go through my mind at one stage -- could I shoot 64 or something and lose this match?" Casey said. "And it was very close." Match No. 38
K.J. Choi (3) vs. Ian Poulter (6)
Bracket: Bobby Jones
Tee Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
What to watch for: It's hard to imagine two more diverse personalities than the rock-solid Choi and the flamboyant Poulter. Both have game, though, and this match should be a good one. Choi never trailed and made six birdies in beating Camilo Villegas 3 and 2. Poulter is extremely pleased with the new Cobra driver he found last week -- which ironically had to be replaced on Tuesday when the head flew off in a freak occurrence as he was hitting balls on the range. His match with Soren Hansen was tight, but Poulter eeked out the 2-and-1 win. Match No. 39
Rod Pampling (15) vs. Nick O'Hern (10)
Bracket: Gary Player
Tee Time: 12:27 p.m. ET
What to watch for: This time it was Pampling, not O'Hern, pulling the upset as he beat second-seeded Justin Rose 2 and 1. The match was close, throughout, but consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th holes put Pampling 2 up and he held on for the win. O'Hern won the second hole with a birdie and never looked back in his 3 and 2 win over Scott Verplank. "Generally, if I can get a lead, I tend not to let it go," said O'Hern, who is now 11-5 at the Accenture Match Play Championship. Pampling would be wise to remember that. Match No. 40
Vijay Singh (3) vs. Niclas Fasth (6)
Bracket: Gary Player
Tee Time: 12:39 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Their two first-round matches were a study in contrasts. Fasth set the tone for his 6-and-5 rout of Richard Green with an eagle-birdie start. Singh, on the other hand, needed 19 holes and a 4-footer for par to dispose of Peter Hanson. Both players led in the hard-fought affair, but never more than 1 up. Fasth quietly reached the third round of last year's tournament and has a 6-5 record overall. Singh topped the .500 mark with his win, too, at 9-8 overall. Match No. 41
Jonathan Byrd (16) vs. Andres Romero (9)
Bracket: Ben Hogan
Tee Time: 12:51 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Byrd was the giant-killer on Wednesday, beating top-seeded Ernie Els 6 and 5 -- the most lopsided loss in any round for a No. 1 seed in the 10-year history of the event. Byrd made six birdies, winning holes with four of them, to send Els packing in the first round for the fourth straight year. Romero was 3 under in his 3-and-2 victory over Goosen. Both Romero and Byrd are making their Accenture Match Play Championship debuts, but based on recent form, the American should have the edge. He has two top-15 finishes among his four starts while the Argentine has missed all three cuts. Match No. 42
Henrik Stenson (4) vs. Trevor Immelman (5)
Bracket: Ben Hogan
Tee Time: 1:03 p.m. ET
What to watch for: This is a rematch of last year's semifinals that was won by Stenson 3 and 2 on the way to the championship. Stenson started fast in his 1-up victory over Robert Allenby on Wednesday, making five birdies in his first nine holes before the Aussie clawed back. The Swede hit balls on Monday for the first time in essentially two weeks after battling a cold and a stomach bug. Immelman, who had surgery in December to remove a non-malignant tumor on his diaphragm stretched his Accenture Match play Championship record to 7-4 with the 1 up win over Shingo Katayama. He was 5 under at the turn, but only led 1 up and had to make an 11-footer to win on the 18th hole. Match No. 43
Steve Stricker (1) vs. Hunter Mahan (9)
Bracket: Sam Snead
Tee Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Stricker survived a scare from Daniel Chopra, the Swede who beat him in a playoff at the Mercedes-Benz Championship to start the 2008 season. Neither player led more than 1 up in the close match that Chopra squared with a birdie on the 17th hole and Stricker won with an 8-footer for birdie on the 20th hole. Mahan made five birdies in a nine-hole stretch that began at the fifth hole as he rallied from 1 down to beat Richard Green 4 and 3. Mahan's length should be an asset against the 2001 Accenture Match Play Championship winner on Thursday, but Stricker has experience on his side. Match No. 44
Angel Cabrera (4) vs. Luke Donald (5)
Bracket: Sam Snead
Tee Time: 1:27 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Another contrast in styles -- the big-hitting Argentine against the fairways-and-greens Englishman. The reigning U.S. Open champ hit his stride as he made the turn in Wednesday's match with Anders Hansen, making four birdies in six holes starting at the ninth to break open a match that was all square and spark the 3-and-2 win. Donald, who has a 6-3 record in the event, was 1 down with six holes to play against his good friend Nick Doughtery on Wednesday. He squared the match with a birdie at No. 13, won the next with a par and sealed the 2-and-1 win with consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th. Match No. 45
Tiger Woods (1) vs. Arron Oberholser (9)
Bracket: Bobby Jones
Tee Time: 1:39 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Woods needed one of his patented charges to avoid what would have been a stunning upset to J.B. Holmes in the opener. He was 3 down when he made bogey on the 13th hole, but Woods won the next four with three birdies and an eagle, then parred No. 18 to advance. Oberholser was making his 2008 debut after battling bursitis in his shoulder and he made it a good one, beating Mike Weir 3 and 1. The last time he and Woods played together was in the final round of a college tournament that Woods went on to win. "I remember it because he hit some shots where I just sat there with my mouth, my jaw on the floor going, you can't do that under any circumstances," Oberholser said. Match No. 46
David Toms (13) vs. Aaron Baddeley (5)
Bracket: Bobby Jones
Tee Time: 1:51 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Toms has never lost in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship, most recently beating Zach Johnson 2 and 1 with a birdie on the 17th hole. His back started acting up during the match, but Toms said he expected to be fine after getting treatment Wednesday afternoon. Baddeley took control of his match with Mark Calcavecchia with a flurry of four birdies in a four-hole stretch that began at No. 7 and left him 3 up when it was over, Match No. 47
Phil Mickelson (1) vs. Stuart Appleby (8)
Bracket: Gary Player
Tee Time: 2:03 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Mickelson never trailed in his 1-up opening win over Perez. He needed a 35-footer for birdie at the 16th hole to give him the edge, though, after Perez squared the match with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14 and 15. Appleby made five birdies in his 3-and-2 win over Tim Clark on Wednesday. The Aussie has played in all nine previous Accenture Match Play Championships, but is looking to advance past the second round for only the second time. Match No. 48
Justin Leonard (13) vs. Lee Westwood (5)
Bracket: Gary Player
Tee Time: 2:15 p.m. ET
What to watch for: Leonard took down Geoff Ogilvy, who won the 2006 Accenture Match Play Championship and finished second last year, in his first-round match. The Texan lost the first hole, but squared the match with a par at No. 5 and gained the advantage he never relinquished with a birdie at the next. Westwood had an adventurous round of eight birdies and two bogeys in beating rookie Brandt Snedeker 3 and 2. He said he's confident, but admits that "this is the kind of week where you kind of unpack, but you don't move stuff too far away from your suitcase."
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