We're down to 'intriguing eight,' and anyone left can pull this off

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Stewart Cink is working his way toward a return to the Accenture Match Play finals.

Feb. 28, 2009
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

MARANA, Ariz. -- I'm not going to call this the elite eight. Not gonna do it, sorry. Besides, it's so cliché. College basketball already owns the moniker, anyway. If anything, we're down to the intriguing eight at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. And perhaps none of the remaining matches are more interesting than Rory McIlroy vs. Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els vs. Stewart Cink.

Anyone think Els, who's been bounced out of this tournament in the first round each of the past four years, would still be around this weekend? Anyone? Anyone?

Perhaps what's most interesting about the Els-Cink match is that Ernie seems to be looking back to take a step forward. He's gone back to the same Callaway putter -- fitted with the same 35-inch shaft -- that won him two U.S. Opens in the 1990s. He's also trying to get back to that same stroke. And why not, given its success. From 1991-1999, Els won 31 times around the world, including seven times on the PGA TOUR.

Els has also been working with Butch Harmon this week. Come to think of it, Stewart Cink often works with Harmon, too. That'll make for an interesting driving range Saturday morning.

"I just thought I needed to start making some putts," Els said. "I'm going back to the old things that I used to do. I've been working my ass off, and I'm starting to feel a little bit better."

That little bit better has translated into 16 birdies and one eagle in his last 49 holes.

Meanwhile, Cink, who is looking to get back to the finals for a second straight year after loosing by a record margin to Tiger Woods in 2008, has made five of his 12 birdies for the week within the first four holes. That saved him in his Sweet 16 match against Phil Mickelson and most certainly would put the pressure on Els, who is one of two players yet to trail in the tournament.

Then there's Northern Ireland's teen sensation Rory McIlroy, who would be the youngest player ever to win on TOUR at 19 years, nine months and 25 days on Sunday.

Only a fool would be fooled by the baby face and mop-top haircut. McIlroy, a winner in Dubai earlier this season who's been touted by Els as the next world No. 1 and by Harmon as more advanced than the current No. 1 at the same age, has five birdies each of the last two days and is clearly wise beyond his Irish eyes.

Of course, his opponent Friday morning is no slouch, either. Ogilvy won this tournament in 2006 and was second in 2007. And unlike some players, Ogilvy enjoys the match-play format, almost to a level that would be sickening to some. Or at least they might become sick after playing him.

"I enjoy that every hole is kind of like an end point," Ogilvy said. "You get quite a lot of putts that are must-make putts and must-make up-and-downs. A guy hits in close before you and you're forced to really try to hit one in close, and I enjoy that."

There are, in case I hadn't mentioned, two other matches, too. Paul Casey will take on Sean O'Hair, the lowest seed still left in the tournament at No. 12, while Ross Fisher will play Justin Leonard.

Anyone think that Fisher, who is playing in this tournament for the first time and whose page in the tournament media guide is about as long as 2-inch tap in, would still be around this weekend? Anyone? Anyone?

Yet Fisher hasn't played beyond the 15th hole in either of the last two days. That includes a 4-and-3 thumping of Jim Furyk in a third round in which Fisher had seven birdies and just one bogey.

Likewise, Leonard flew in a bit under the proverbial radar. That's what happens when you're in the same bracket as Anthony Kim. But sometimes substance wins over style and Leonard has had plenty of that this week with wins over Andres Romero, Davis Love III and Oliver Wilson.

Maybe we should have taken more notice of Leonard. He reached the semifinals here a year ago and has a ton of match-play experience thanks to four Presidents Cups and three Ryder Cups.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club measures some 7,800 yards, but might feel like it's playing closer to 6,800 to Leonard because the ball flies farther in the desert and, as he's discovered, there's a premium on ballstriking.

"The rough's not deep by any means, but it's hard to control the ball," Leonard said. "And that's what you have to be doing going into these greens is controlling the ball.

"This is how I play the game and it's how Tim Clark plays the game."

Things turned out pretty good for Clark, at least when he played Tiger Woods anyway.

As for the Casey-O'Hair match, the latter doesn't care about seedings or what those numbers are supposed to mean. "Golf is golf," he said. "If you're going to play good and play better than your opponent, then you're going to win."

That's exactly what O'Hair has done, even though this is just his second venture into this tournament. Not that it's been easy. O'Hair has had to come back in every one of his matches so far. Twice he's been as many as 2 down on the front nine against guys with more match-play experience. Twice he's found a way to win.

His opponent Saturday is the first player I've heard say this week that they like the golf course. That wasn't always true for Paul Casey, however. When Casey, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, played a practice round here a couple of weeks ago, he was a bit "initimidated."

"I think this format has a lot to do with liking the golf course because you have to be aggressive," Casey said. "I think two weeks ago, it's quite overwhelming when you walk onto some of those greens. Playing it the last couple of days ... Your goal is to get that ball into the correct little pocket or plateau and you know if you do you're going to reward yourself with a fairly simple putt. I think that's what makes it easier and that's why I think my opinion has changed."

As the other player who has yet to trail this week, it's easy to see why.