The Starter: Final Day, Accenture Match Play Championship

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Mar. 1, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The fifith and final 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
9:20 am ET (7:20 am local)		Geoff Ogilvy, Paul Casey Ogilvy has become a regular presence in the finals. Can he pull off his second Match Play victory in the last four years?
1:45 pm ET (11:45 am local)		Ross Fisher, Stewart Cink The third-place match is an intriguing contest between a proven match-play veteran and an under-rated English competitor.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Michael Collins previews Sunday's final day of action:

Geoff Ogilvy against Paul Casey -- not a final match-up most of you at home might have had in your brackets. Heck, all of you who aren't members at Whisper Rock Golf Club didn't have this final. But those of you who are members and are reading this are thinking to yourselves, "I hate to say we told ya so, but" ... And yes, we see that big grin on your faces.

This is going to be a 36-hole club championship, except it's on TV and for a lot more money. Well, the money thing can't be verified, but we think so.

Australia vs. England for the Championship. If you didn't know how good the world was before, you better recognize now.

Sunday's forecast

Partly cloudy
Temp: 90 high/49 low
The skies should be partly cloudy and very warm. The winds will blow out of the east at 10 to 15 mph.

Ogilvy has been playing some fantastic golf of late and, if I remember correctly, I did say he was the hottest player on TOUR this year. He finally beat the man who wouldn't go away (Stewart Cink) after a hard-fought match against golf's newest teen phenom (Rory McIlroy).

Casey made mincemeat out of Sean O'Hair, although mincemeat may be the wrong term to use since the poor guy had food poisoning the night before. Then Casey won ugly against the guy no one knows anything about -- Ross Fisher. Ogilvy is on his game right now, so Casey has some work to do if he's going to be around for very long on the second 18.

Don't forget there is a consolation match: Ross Fisher vs. Stewart "There's that man again" Cink, which is going to be a great battle of its own. Fisher was worn out after his match with Justin Leonard but, after a good night's sleep, should come out firing. Cink once again told me how much he loved match play, and, after he made it to Sunday for the second year in a row, I can see why.

I was very proud of the people of Tucson and beyond who came out to watch some great golf on Saturday, and I expect the crowds to be bigger than what most people thought with these match-ups. Fans love great golf, and they are going to get to see it up close on Sunday.

Stat of the day

Geoff Ogilvy is currently third in career money earned at the Accenture Match Play with $2,140,000. Now that he's in the final, he will earn a minimum of $850,000 and move past David Toms into second place on the list. Tiger Woods tops the list with $4,712,500 in earnings.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS
Compiled by Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.

• Cink got himself into the Final Four with a 2-and-1 win over Ernie Els. Cink has played 77 holes over the first four rounds. He needed 19 holes to defeat Richard Sterne, 23 to beat Lee Westwood, 18 to eliminate Phil Mickelson and 17 to defeat Els in the first round on Saturday. Only two golfers have advanced to the final four by playing more holes than Cink: Ogilvy in 2006 (80 holes through the first four rounds, en route to a tournament victory) and Henrik Stenson last year (79 holes; he finished third).

• A total of 17 Americans were in the field at the start of this year's event, the fewest in tournament history, but now only one remains: Cink. In the 11 years of this tournament, there has never been a Final Four that did not include an American.

• Casey won seven holes in his Saurday morning match against O'Hair. Since 2003, no player has won more than seven holes in a fourth-round match. Casey has won 25 holes through four rounds, which equals the highest four-round total since 2003.

• Casey played fellow countryman Fisher in his semifinal match, and the two became the second and third English players to make the semifinals. Ian Poulter made the semifinals in 2005 but lost to David Toms. Ten different English players have played in this tournament, but Casey is the first to make the finals.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds at Dove Mountain and previews what to watch for in the final round. Watch it
	Shot of the day Geoff Ogilvy hits a great tee shot at the par-4 15th and sets himself up for an easy eagle putt to move to 3 up with three holes to play in the semifinals. Watch it
	Saturday's highlights Australia's Geoff Ogilvy and England's Paul Casey both won two matches on Saturday to advance to Sunday's 36-hole final round. Watch it