Match Play predictions: Who'll win 8 third-round matches?

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Feb. 24, 2012
By PGATOUR.COM staff

MARANA, Ariz. -- PGATOUR.COM staffers Mike McAllister and Helen Ross are on site at this week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and will predict the winner of each match. Here are their picks for Friday's eight third-round matches.

WGC-ACCENTURE: Round 3 Previews | Round 2 Recaps | Updated bracket | Thursday Wrap-up | Video

Third-round predictions

Match	Players	Mike McAllister's pick	Helen Ross' pick
49	Martin Kaymer vs. Matt Kuchar	Kaymer	Kuchar
50	Steve Stricker vs. Hunter Mahan	Mahan	Mahan
51	Lee Westwood vs. Nick Watney	Westwood	Watney
52	Martin Laird vs. Paul Lawrie	Laird	Lawrie
53	Peter Hanson vs. Brandt Snedeker	Snedeker	Snedeker
54	Mark Wilson vs. Dustin Johnson	Wilson	Wilson
55	Rory McIlroy vs. Miguel Angel Jimenez	McIlroy	McIlroy
56	John Senden vs. Sang-moon Bae	Senden	Senden

McALLISTER SAYS: "It's tough to pick against Stricker, but maybe that's just because he's such a good guy. If it's a tight match, I may regret not going with the gritty veteran from Wisconsin. The other match I struggled the most with was picking Wilson over Johnson. Wilson won their match last year in 19 holes and I can see it going into overtime again."

ROSS SAYS: "Kuchar says he just 'plods along' and that mentality can be golden in match play. He's not one to get too high or too low. He just quietly gets the job done and a win by the player ranked 14th in the world would hardly be an upset. I also picked another top seed in Lee Westwood to be eliminated. Nick Watney has already beaten him twice, after all, and the American should be confident after beating Tiger Woods on Thursday."

Prediction scoreboard

Here's how our experts in Arizona have fared with their picks