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 BOBBY JONES bracket:
MORE BRACKET PREVIEWS: Sam Snead bracket | Ben Hogan bracket | Gary Player bracket
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| First-round matches |
| No. 1 STEVE STRICKER (10-6) |
vs. |
No. 16 ROSS McGOWAN (0-0) |
| Don't look for the upset here. Stricker, who won this tournament in 2001, has risen to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning at Rivera two weeks ago. McGowan came in at No. 66 and he is playing in his first World Golf Championships. |
| No. 2 PADRAIG HARRINGTON (11-9) |
vs. |
No. 15 Jeev Milka Singh (0-2) |
| Harrington isn't battling his swing this year as he did a year ago in losing in the first round. He's coming off a tie for 16th last week at Pebble Beach, too, so the DUbliner should be confident. Singh, who is making his debut as a PGA TOUR member, is just getting back into competitive mode after the birth of his first child. |
| No. 3 IAN POULTER (12-7) |
vs. |
No. 14 JUSTIN LEONARD (12-11) |
| This one could be close. Poulter, who was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal showing for the Europeans at the Ryder Cup, thrives in match play. He reached the semifinals in 2005 and ended up finishing fourth and only once has lost in the first round in six appearances. Leonard, though, knows what it means to make a clutch putt and he's 7-3 in his last two starts in Tucson. |
| No. 4 ROBERT KARLSSON (0-4) |
vs. |
No. 13 RORY SABBATINI (3-6) |
| Neither plays has had much success in Tucson. The Swede has never gotten out of the first round while Sabbatini did reach the third round in 2005 before losing to Ian Poulter. Both have some 2010 success to draw on -- Karlsson won three weeks ago in Qatar while sabbatini was second in the season-opening SBS Championship -- so this could be entertaining. |
| No. 5 ROSS FISHER (4-2) |
vs. |
No. 12 THONGCHAI JAIDEE (0-0) |
| On paper, this looks lopsided. Fisher was the surprise of 2009 in Tucson, breezing to the quarterfinals before losing to Paul Casey in the semifinals and Stewart Cink in the consolation. Jaidee, on the other hand, is playing in his first Accenture Match Play Championship but he is coming off solo third at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic so he's on form. |
| No. 6 ANGEL CABRERA (6-8) |
vs. |
No. 11 ADAM SCOTT (13-8) |
| Cabrera can scramble with the best of them, which makes the reigning Masters champ a threat to wear an opponent down in match play. He's only reached the third round once, though, and lost in the quarterfinals in 2008 to Stewart Cink. The key will be which Adam Scott shows up -- the one who ended 2009 with a win at the Australian Open or the one who struggled mightily the rest of the year. |
| No. 7 ANTHONY KIM (1-1) |
vs, |
No. 10 MATT KUCHAR (0-0) |
| Kuchar had to withdraw from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last week with a stomach bug but he's feeling better as he prepares for his Accenture Match Play Championship debut. Not to mention, he's been playing extremely well with three top-20s, including one second and a third. But Kim, who tied for 52nd in his only start on TOUR this year, has Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup experience on which to draw. |
| No. 8 RYO ISHIKAWA (0-0) |
vs. |
No. 9 MICHAEL SIM (0-0) |
| The two Accenture Match Play Championship rookies are among the most heralded young players in the game. Ishikawa ranked No. 65 in the world last year and came to Tucson to practice just in case someone withdrew. Sim, who led the Nationwide Tour money list last year, already has a second-place finish on TOUR so he could be tough. |
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| PGATOUR.COM staff picks |
| Match |
Lauren
Deason |
Mike
McAllister |
Helen
Ross |
Ryan
Smithson |
Brian
Wacker |
Nick
Zaccardi |
Steve Stricker (1) vs.
Ross McGowan (16) |
Stricker |
Stricker |
Stricker |
Stricker |
Stricker |
Stricker |
Ryo Ishikawa (8) vs.
Michael Sim (9) |
Ishikawa |
Sim |
Sim |
Ishikawa |
Ishikawa |
Sim |
Robert Karlsson (4) vs.
Rory Sabbatini (13) |
Sabbatini |
Karlsson |
Karlsson |
Karlsson |
Karlsson |
Sabbatini |
Ross Fisher (5) vs.
Thongchai Jaidee (12) |
Fisher |
Fisher |
Jaidee |
Fisher |
Fisher |
Fisher |
Padraig Harrington (2) vs.
Jeev Milkha Singh (15) |
Harrington |
Harrington |
Harrington |
Harrington |
Harrington |
Harrington |
Anthony Kim (7) vs.
Matt Kuchar (10) |
Kim |
Kim |
Kim |
Kim |
Kim |
Kim |
Ian Poulter (3) vs.
Justin Leonard (14) |
Leonard |
Poulter |
Poulter |
Poulter |
Poulter |
Poulter |
Angel Cabrera (6) vs.
Adam Scott (11) |
Scott |
Cabrera |
Cabrera |
Cabrera |
Cabrera |
Scott |
|
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