MARANA, Ariz. -- Here's a look at each of the 16 second-round matches Thursday at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
MORE MATCH PLAY: Second-round predictions | First-round match recaps | First-round Live Report | Updated bracket
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| Second-round previews |
| No. 15 ROSS McGOWAN (1-0) |
vs. |
No. 6 RYO ISHIKAWA (1-0) |
| McGowan should be brimming with confidence after mowing down top-seeded Steve Stricker, who is ranked No. 2 in the world, on the 19th hole in Wednesday's biggest upset. But Ishikawa hung tough against the talented young Aussie, Michael Sim, and birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to close out that match should give the 18-year-old momentum, too. |
| No. 4 ROBERT KARLSSON (1-4) |
vs. |
No. 12 THONGCHAI JAIDEE (1-0) |
| Hard to pick a clear favorite here. Jaidee may be playing in his first Accenture Match Play Championship, but that win over Ross Fisher, who finished fourth last year, should be a confidence-builder. Karlsson, who needed 20 holes to beat Rory Sabbatini on Wednesday, will have had never positive vibes, too, after advancing out of the first round for the first time. |
| No. 15 JEEV MILKHA SINGH (1-2) |
vs. |
No. 10 MATT KUCHAR (1-0) |
| Both players are coming off upsets, although Singh's 3-and-1 victory over second-seeded Padraig Harrington was one of the biggest of the day and sent him into the second round for the first time in three starts. Kuchar was his normal steady self in knocking off Anthony Kim. Look for this one to go the distance. |
| No. 3 IAN POULTER (13-7) |
vs. |
No. 11 ADAM SCOTT (14-8) |
| Scott didn't feel he played particularly well in beating Masters champ Angel Cabrera but the young Aussie said he "played the match" and did what he needed to do to win. Poulter, though, will try to dictate the action so Scott needs to be sharp. The colorful Brit thrives on match play, as his record suggests, and a win on U.S. soil is long overdue. |
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| Second-round previews |
| No. 1 MARTIN KAYMER (2-2) |
vs. |
No. 9 TIM CLARK (4-6) |
| Kaymer is a 25-year-old who has surprisingly risen to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Clark is a veteran pit bull still seeking his first PGA TOUR win. Clark is becoming a real factor at match play events, given his success here last year as well as at the Presidents Cup. He's hungry for victory, and should put plenty of pressure on the young German. |
| No. 4 SERGIO GARCIA (9-8) |
vs. |
No. 12 ANDERS HANSEN (1-3) |
| Garcia is still a work-in-progress this season, and wasn't happy about a couple of errors he made on the back nine Wednesday. Hansen finally got through the first round with an upset of Lucas Glover. Will he be satisfied with having knocked off the reigning U.S. Open champ? At age 39, Hansen is probably savvy enough to avoid the letdown. |
| No. 2 RORY McILROY (4-1) |
vs. |
No. 10 OLIVER WILSON (3-1) |
| The 20-year-old from Northern Ireland continues to impress in his second Match Play appearance. He showed moxie in rallying to beat Kevin Na in the final five holes. Wilson, though, is also flashing the ability to do well in this event as he knocked off veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez. These two could be European Ryder Cup teammates for a long time, but on Thursday, they'll be at each other's throats. |
| No. 3 ROBERT ALLENBY (9-9) |
vs. |
No. 6 LUKE DONALD (9-5) |
| Donald has been working on his leg action during his swing and he said the ability to turn the ball over a little bit easier is paying off. He's good friends with Allenby and knows that the Australian has been in superb form. "He will be a tough match," Donald said. "He has been playing well this year." Donald will be seeking his fourth appearance in the third round. Allenby has only advanced past the second round twice in nine previous starts in this event. |
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| Second-round previews |
| No. 1 JIM FURYK (10-9) |
vs. |
No. 9 CHARL SCHWARTZEL (2-1) |
| Schwartzel played uneven golf in the first round with an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys. He'll need to be consistently better to knock off the top seed in this bracket. Furyk's record against international players in this event is 3-5, but he'll probably be glad to see an international player opposite him after having mixed feelings in beating fellow American Scott Verplank. |
| No. 4 SEAN O'HAIR (5-2) |
vs. |
No. 5 STEWART CINK (19-10) |
| Cink has knocked on the door the last two years here, and there's no reason to think he'll stumble Thursday, even though he had to rally from four down against Edoardo Molinari. O'Hair showed good form in producing eight birdies in his first-round win, and he'll need a similar performance to keep Cink from eaching the third round. |
| No. 2 PAUL CASEY (11-7) |
vs. |
No. 10 MIKE WEIR (7-9) |
| Here's the deal -- if Weir putts on Thursday like he did on Wednesday, Casey has no shot. And he knows it. "I hope he watches the Olympics tonight and gets tired," Casey said. "I think I have to be prepared for Mike Weir to come out and do the same tomorrow." Casey can only hope the match more resembles the one in 2007 when he beat Weir 1-up in the first round. Weir knows he's in for a battle against Casey, a finalist last year. "I'll have my hands full," Weir said. |
| No. 14 BRIAN GAY (1-0) |
vs. |
No. 6 ZACH JOHNSON (7-3) |
| Gay rallied to beat veteran Kenny Perry in his Accenture Match Play debut, but for his efforts, he'll go up against another strong American player. Johnson had to go 21 holes to subdue Francesco Molinari, and he didn't play that well in the process (six bogeys, two birdies and an eagle). Johnson lost to Phil Mickelson in the second round last year. |
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| Second-round previews |
| No. 1 LEE WESTWOOD (6-9) |
vs. |
No. 8 NICK WATNEY (1-0) |
| His match with Chris Wood was a "bit scrappy" but at least Westwood won, and he'll be looking to get to the third round for the first time in 10 starts here. Standing in his way this time is the young Californian, who made his Accenture Match Play Championship debut count when he pulled away from Yuta Ikeda on the back nine. The Englishman, who has finished third and lost in a playoff in his last two starts on the European Tour, remains the favorite, though. |
| No. 4 ERNIE ELS (10-10) |
vs. |
No. 5 RETIEF GOOSEN (13-10) |
| Too bad this duel between the two long-time fiends couldn't wait for one of the later rounds. Els brings the most form to the match with top-15 finishes in his last three starts. Goosen, though, like Els a two-time U.S. Open champ, may have the bigger comfort zone in match play so this will be a fun one to watch. |
| No. 15 BEN CRANE (3-2) |
vs. |
No. 7 Y.E. YANG (1-1) |
| While Yang and the rest were gritting it out in the first round, Crane played nine holes for fun. His first-round match was cut short when an ailing Henrik Stenson conceded on the first hole. Yang, on the other hand, was tested, but he can't afford the mistakes he made early (three bogeys and a double bogey) if the PGA champ is to get past the well-rested Crane. |
| No. 3 GEOFF OGILVY (18-2) |
vs. |
No. 6 CAMILO VILLEGAS (3-2) |
| Villegas admittedly got gifts on the first four holes Wednesday due to Dustin Johnson concessions, but a string of five birdies in his last six holes made sure the Colombian came out on top. He'll need to be at his best, too, to beat Ogilvy, who has won two of the last four Accenture Match Play Championships, including last year, and finished second in a third. |
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