Accenture Match Play Preview
The top 64 players in the world are set to converge on Dove Mountain in Arizona on Wednesday for the start of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Rory McIlroy is the favourite but the format lends itself to the odd shock and there are several key contenders for the title (McIlroy 12/1 Tournament Outright).
McIlroy was quick to take the positives from his final-round Masters meltdown last year and said the experience would stand him in good stead.
And he was true to his word as he put on a record-breaking show to win the US Open by eight shots just a couple of months later.
The Northern Irishman enjoyed success throughout the rest of the year and, after a strong start to 2012, finds himself one tournament win away from possibly becoming the new world number one.
Luke Donald holds that spot at the moment but a win for McIlroy, coupled with a first or second round exit for the Englishman, and the 22-year-old will be crowned the best player on the planet.
He has always maintained that winning tournaments is his major motivation but the chance to achieve the holy grail at such a tender age must give him an extra spur this week.
He plays George Coetzee in his first-round match and is a short price to take care of the South African (McIlroy 4/9, Coetzee 17/10 1st-round 2-ball).
While McIlroy certainly has the game and temperament to go all the way, Tiger Woods has won the tournament on three occasions and clearly enjoys the battle in Tuscon.
He last won back in 2008 and has shown in his two outings this year that some of the old magic is slowly returning.
He blew the chance of winning in Abu Dhabi with a lacklustre final round and could only manage a 75 on the Sunday at Pebble Beach to slip down the field when in position to challenge.
But if it all clicks into place then a price of 14/1 must be worth considering for the US star, who faces Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in round one.
Luke Donald is the defending champion and, according to the player himself, it was his victory in the desert 12 months ago that was the catalyst for his amazing year.
He has only played twice so far this season and has yet to pull up any trees, but the world number one will not give up his title lightly.
He faces Ernie Els in the first round and, while the Big Easy has won Europe’s version of the event seven times, he has never done well stateside in match play golf and has struggled on the course.
He still possesses the talent to compete with Donald but it would be a major surprise if the Hemel Hempstead-born star does not make it into round two.
Lee Westwood keeps plugging on and has already come close to winning this season with a second-place finish in the Dubai Desert Classic.
The 38-year-old has performed superbly in the big events on both sides of the pond in the past two or three years without winning a major and he must be considered a major title contender this week.
His game still looks solid despite a slight neck problem and, if he could hole more putts from around 12 feet, he would already be a multiple major winner.
A Wednesday tussle with in-form Belgian star Nicolas Colsaerts will give an indication as to what sort of form he is in as he has never really enjoyed much success in the event.
Martin Kaymer has already secured a top-10 finish on Europe’s desert swing and his calmness under pressure makes him a standout candidate for glory this week.
The former world number one finished strongly last year and looks to have the bit between his teeth once again to add to the 10 titles he has already garnered.
He faces Greg Chalmers and should be too hot for the Australian to handle (Kaymer 12/1 To Reach Final).
With the European players dominating the rankings at present, it is easy to forget the talent coming out of the USA and other parts of the world and the likes of Keegan Bradley and Kyle Stanley are players who seem to challenge every week on the PGA Tour and have to be considered when trying to pick a winner this week.
Bradley takes on former champion Geoff Ogilvy on Wednesday, while Stanley faces a tough encounter with KJ Choi.
Bill Haas held off the challenge of both Stanley and in-form Phil Mickelson to win last Sunday and he is clearly in decent form and a match-up with Ryo Ishikawa of Japan should not cause him too much trouble.
Mickelson has never won the tournament but has suddenly discovered how to play again and could easily have made it back-to-back wins stateside.
He is swinging the club better than he has been and even locating the odd fairway and, with his touch around the greens, he is always going to be tough to beat in match play golf.
He will never be out of contention on any a hole and chipping in from off the green has almost become commonplace for the left-hander.
It looks set to be cracking event and, while it would be a surprise not to see McIlroy at least in the final, there appears to be several stars who are at their peak and could walk away with the trophy.
