Feb. 16, 2010
By PGATOUR.COM staff
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 SAM SNEAD bracket:
MORE BRACKET PREVIEWS: Gary Player bracket | Ben Hogan bracket | Bobby Jones bracket
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| First-round matches |
| No. 1 JIM FURYK (9-9) |
vs. |
No. 16 SCOTT VERPLANK (4-9) |
| Let's see, these two U.S. veterans have combined for eight Presidents Cup appearances, eight Ryder Cups and two World Cups, and have each played in nine Accenture Match Play events. Alas, neither has enjoyed much success -- Furyk has never gotten past the third round and Verplank has never gotten past the second round. In fact, of those 18 combined starts here, nine have ended in first-round defeats. For Furyk, this is his second time as one of the four No. 1 seeds. |
| No. 2 PAUL CASEY (10-7) |
vs. |
No. 15 STEPHEN AMES (4-5) |
| Casey, who lives up the road in Scottsdale, reached the championship match last year before losing to Geoff Ogilvy. Ames, who lives up a little further up the road in Calgary, Alberta, reached the quarterfinals in 2007. Casey has spent most of the past month in other desert surroundings on the European Tour while Ames withdrew in his last year at Northern Trust. |
| No. 3 KENNY PERRY (3-7) |
vs. |
No. 14 BRIAN GAY (0-0) |
| Perry has 14 victories on his PGA TOUR resume, but he hasn't been close to winning the Accenture Match Play. In seven starts, he has five first-round exits. Gay is making his Match Play debut and has been fairly steady in his first four starts on TOUR this year, finishing top 25 in each one. Perry tied for sixth at the SBS Championship before heading overseas to play. |
| No. 4 SEAN O'HAIR (4-2) |
vs. |
No. 13 SIMON DYSON (0-0) |
| O'Hair reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to Paul Casey. After a tie for fourth at the SBS Championship, he's been back of the pack in his last two TOUR starts. Dyson is a Match Play rookie who owns seven international victories, including two on the European Tour last year. But he hasn't made much of an impact on the leaderboards this year. |
| No. 5 STEWART CINK (18-10) |
vs. |
No. 12 EDUARDO MOLINARI (0-0) |
| The Accenture Match Play Championship always seems to bring out the best in Cink. The American is 12-3 in the last three years -- reaching the 36-hole championship in 2008 and the consolation finals last year. Molinari is a former U.S. Amateur winner, but this is a whole different ball game. |
| No. 6 ZACH JOHNSON (6-5) |
vs. |
No. 11 FRANCESCO MOLINARI (0-0) |
| Johnson should have an easy time of it, despite the fact that he hasn't played on TOUR since the Sony Open in Hawaii where he tied for 12th. The extended break should have given Johnson, who finished fourth in the 2006 Accenture Match Play Championship, plenty of time to recharge his batteries. Molinari last won on the European Tour in 2006 but teamed with his brother to win at Mission Hills last November. |
| No. 7 ALVAR0 QUIROS (0-1) |
vs. |
No. 10 MIKE WEIR (6-9) |
| This match could be a good one. Weir has the experience, but he's only gotten past the second round once in nine starts. Don't underestimate the big-hitting Spaniard, though. He lost in the first round a year ago in his debut but Quiros hsa finished 11th or better in his last three starts on the European Tour, including solo second in Qatar. |
| No. 8 HUNTER MAHAN (2-2) |
vs. |
No. 9 CHARL SCHWARTZEL (1-1) |
| On paper, Schwartzel is the favorite in this match. He leads the European Tour's Race to Dubai after consecutive wins in South Africa and solo second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Mahan hasn't been at his best this year, with a tie for 27th in San Diego his best finish. But Mahan is a fighter who won't give ground. |
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| PGATOUR.COM staff picks |
| Match |
Lauren
Deason |
Mike
McAllister |
Helen
Ross |
Ryan
Smithson |
Brian
Wacker |
Nick
Zaccardi |
Jim Furyk (1) vs.
Scott Verplank (16) |
Furyk |
Furyk |
Furyk |
Furyk |
Furyk |
Furyk |
Hunter Mahan (8) vs.
Charl Schwartzel (9) |
Schwartzel |
Mahan |
Schwartzel |
Mahan |
Mahan |
Schwartzel |
Sean O'Hair (4) vs.
Simon Dyson (13) |
O'Hair |
O'Hair |
O'Hair |
O'Hair |
O'Hair |
O'Hair |
Stewart Cink (5). vs.
Edoardo Molinari (12) |
Cink |
Cink |
Cink |
Molinari |
Cink |
Cink |
Paul Casey (2) vs.
Stephen Ames (15) |
Casey |
Casey |
Ames |
Ames |
Casey |
Casey |
Alvaro Quiros (7) vs.
Mike Weir (10) |
Weir |
Quiros |
Quiros |
Weir |
Quiros |
Weir |
Kenny Perry (3) vs.
Brian Gay (14) |
Perry |
Gay |
Perry |
Gay |
Gay |
Perry |
Zach Johnson (6) vs.
Francesco Molinari (11) |
Johnson |
Johnson |
Johnson |
Johnson |
Johnson |
Johnson |
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