Feb. 16, 2010
MARANA, Ariz. -- The first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship begins Wednesday with 32 matches. Here's a look at each match of the BEN HOGAN bracket:
MORE BRACKET PREVIEWS: Sam Snead bracket | Gary Player bracket | Bobby Jones bracket
|
| First-round matches |
| No. 1 MARTIN KAYMER (1-2) |
vs. |
No. 16 CHAD CAMPBELL (11-5) |
| Of the four top seeds, Kaymer's the youngest (25 years old) and the least known, at least in the United States. He hasn't done much in his first two Match Play appearances, while Campbell has never lost a first- or second-round match in four starts. He lost in the consolation finals in 2007 to Trevor Immelman. |
| No. 2 RORY McILROY (3-1) |
vs. |
No. 15 KEVIN NA (0-0) |
| The Northern Irishman made a big impact in his first American tournament as a pro here last year, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Geoff Ogilvy. He insists his sore back will not be a factor this week. Na is making his start in this event. |
| No. 3 ROBERT ALLENBY (8-9) |
vs. |
No. 14 PETER HANSON, (2-2) |
| Allenby's best showing was reaching the quarterfinals in 2005, but in his last three starts, he's lost close-fought first-round matches. Hanson had a nice run last year, losing to eventual finalist Paul Casey in the third round. |
| No. 4 SERGIO GARCIA (8-8) |
vs. |
No. 13 DAVID TOMS (23-8) |
| Garcia lost in the opening round last year as a No. 1 seed (second overall) and has never gotten past the third round in eight starts. Toms is back in this event after missing last year; he's reached two finals, winning in 2005. Could be one of the better matches of the day. |
| No. 5 LUCAS GLOVER (0-2) |
vs. |
No. 12 ANDERS HANSEN (0-3) |
| Glover, the reigning U.S. Open champion, seeks his first opening-round win. So does Hansen, who is making his fourth start. Glover should be well rested after his top-10 finish in Torrey Pines last month. Hansen already has three top-10 finishes on the European Tour this year. |
| No. 6 LUKE DONALD (8-5) |
vs. |
No. 11 GRAEME McDOWELL (1-3) |
| Donald has never lost a first-round match in five starts, and he had to win a couple of overtime matches last year before a wrist injury knocked him out in his third-round match vs. Ernie Els. McDowell has been ousted early in his last two starts and has started a bit slowly in Europe this season. |
| No. 7 MIGUEL A. JIMENEZ (6-8) |
vs. |
No. 10 OLIVER WILSON (2-1) |
| The Mechanic reached the quarterfinals in 2000, but is just 3-6 in his last six starts. But he comes in with momentum, having won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Wilson had a strong debut in 2009, when he knocked off K.J. Choi and Anthony Kim before losing to Justin Leonard in 19 holes. |
| No. 8 VIJAY SINGH (12-10) |
vs. |
No. 9 TIM CLARK (3-6) |
| Singh has only lost one first-round match in 10 starts, but has only advanced past the second round twice. He could be coming up against a buzzsaw in Clark, who knocked off Tiger Woods last year in the second round. |
|
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| PGATOUR.COM staff predictions |
| Match |
Lauren
Deason |
Mike
McAllister |
Helen
Ross |
Ryan
Smithson |
Brian
Wacker |
Nick
Zaccardi |
Martin Kaymer (1) vs.
Chad Campbell (16) |
Kaymer |
Kaymer |
Kaymer |
Kaymer |
Kaymer |
Kaymer |
Vijay Singh (8) vs.
Tim Clark (9) |
Clark |
Clark |
Clark |
Clark |
Clark |
Clark |
Sergio Garcia (4) vs.
David Toms (13) |
Garcia |
Toms |
Toms |
Toms |
Garcia |
Garcia |
Lucas Glover (5) vs.
Anders Hansen (12) |
Glover |
Glover |
Glover |
Glover |
Hansen |
Glover |
Rory McIlroy (2) vs.
Kevin Na (15) |
McIlroy |
McIlroy |
McIlroy |
Na |
McIlroy |
McIlroy |
Miguel A. Jimenez (7) vs.
Oliver Wilson (10) |
Wilson |
Jimenez |
Jimenez |
Wilson |
Jimenez |
Wilson |
Robert Allenby (3) vs.
Peter Hanson (14) |
Allenby |
Allenby |
Allenby |
Allenby |
Allenby |
Allenby |
Luke Donald (6) vs.
Graeme McDowell (11) |
McDowell |
Donald |
Donald |
McDowell |
McDowell |
Donald |
|
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