The Starter: Round 3, Accenture Match Play Championship

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Feb. 27, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The third day of matches will soon begin at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Here's how it sets up:

Matches We're Watching

Tee time	Players
1:37 pm ET (11:37 am local)		Tim Clark, Rory McIlroy Clark took down the world No. 1 Thursday. Now let's see what he can do against Europe's fastest-rising star.
12:58 pm ET (10:58 am local)		Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink Mickelson has careened his way to two straight wins. How will he fare against his Ryder Cup teammate?
12:45 p.m. ET (10:45 a.m. local)		Ernie Els, Luke Donald Here's a chance to enjoy two sweet swings, and see how both men are progressing down the comeback trail.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Michael Collins previews the third day of head-to-head action:

Phil Mickelson vs. Stewart Cink: Phil plays 14 great holes and then holds on for dear life, while Stewart is the bad penny that you just can't lose; he's played more than 40 holes in two matches! That match may not finish until Saturday afternoon.

Sean O'Hair vs. Ian Poulter: I love this match. Quiet vs. loud. And you know Ian is gonna bring some pants out that he thinks could mess with Sean's head -- plaid with polka dots?!

Camilo Villegas vs. Geoff Ogilvy: Watch this match, too. The young gun taking on a U.S. Open champion who already has one title under his belt this year. Mark my words right here: The winner of this match is in the finals on Sunday. Mark my words!

The one stat(s) you need to know

Camilo Villegas defeated Rod Pampling 7 and 6 on Wednesday and took down Miguel Angel Jimenez 5 and 4 on Thursday, meaning Villegas has played only 26 holes so far this week. Villegas has won 14 of 26 holes (53.8 percent) for the highest winning percentage in the first two rounds since 2003.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS
Compiled by Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.

Friday's forecast

Partly cloudy
Temp: 81 high/47 low
The weather will remain somewhat cloudy and warm. The wind will start out of the south-southwest before shifting around to the northwest at 10 to 15 mph.

• Phil Mickelson was 4 up with five holes to play in both his first- and second-round matches, but allowed each match to reach the 18th hole. Mickelson lost five holes on the back nine against Angel Cabrera in his first match and three holes on the back nine to Zach Johnson in his second. Since 2003, only one other player lost eight holes on the back nine in their first two matches and still won both: Henrik Stenson, who did so last year and went on to finish third.

• Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Stewart Cink won their first two matches in extra holes. Ogilvy defeated Kevin Sutherland in 19 holes in Round 1 and Shingo Katayama in 19 holes in Round 2; Cink beat Richard Sterne in 19 holes and Lee Westwood in 23 holes; and Donald needed 19 holes to defeat both Vijay Singh and Ben Curtis. There have only been two other instances of a player winning successive matches in extra holes in the first two rounds: Ogilvy did that in 2006 and Steve Stricker in 2008.

• Camilo Villegas advanced to the third round after decisive victories over Rod Pampling (7 and 6) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (5 and 4). Three other players won their first two matches without allowing either one to go beyond the 14th hole: Dudley Hart in 2001, Fredrik Jacobson in 2004 and Jonathan Byrd last year.

• Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh, all No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets, did not advance to the third round. This the first time in tournament history that no top seed advanced to the third round.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the second round at Dove Mountain and previews what to watch for on Friday's third day of action. Watch it
	Shot of the day Even in defeat, Tiger Woods showed some magic as he holed out from the bunker to keep his match alive. Watch it
	Clark reflects on his big victory South African Tim Clark handed world No. 1 Tiger Woods a 4 & 2 loss Thursday, then talked to reporters about the experience. Watch it