The European Tour’s leading lights have the opportunity to shine on the world stage this week, as defending champion Henrik Stenson leads a record 31 Tour Members to The Gallery Golf Club in Tuscon, Arizona for the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play.
Stenson’s memorable victory over Geoff Ogilvy 12 months ago cemented the Swede’s place among golf’s elite, and Stenson, who begins his title defence against Australian Robert Allenby, will be seeking to emulate Tiger Woods’s feat of winning back-to-back WGC – Accenture Match Play titles in 2003 and 2004.
He will face one of the sternest challenges of his career to do so, with Woods in top form going into his third start of 2008 with a 100 per cent record to his name. The World Number One won the Buick Invitational on his seasonal debut on the US PGA Tour before snatching Stenson’s Dubai Desert Classic crown on The European Tour International Schedule.
Woods, as befitting the World Number One, is also top seed for the WGC – Accenture Match Play, and the man with the midas touch in World Golf Championships opens his bid for a third successive win in 2008 against fellow American J B Holmes.
“I’ve always said match play is like a boat race – it’s basically a sprint and anything can happen in 18 holes,” said Woods, who has won 11 WGC titles since the series was launched with the Match Play in 1999.
There are some fascinating ties in the first round draw for the tenth anniversary of the WGCs, from the match-up between The European Tour’s 2007 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Martin Kaymer and colourful American Boo Weekley, to the all-English clash between former Walker Cup team mates Luke Donald and Nick Dougherty.
The European Tour’s current Number One, Lee Westwood of England, will face Brandt Snedeker of the US in round one, while Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie will have to rely on all of his Ryder Cup match play skills to overcome American Jim Furyk.
Open Champion, Padraig Harrington of Ireland, sets out in his quest for a first WGC title by tackling American Jerry Kelly while US Open Champion, Angel Cabrera, flies the Argentine flag against Denmark’s Anders Hansen, the reigning BMW PGA Champion. With Donald or Dougherty awaiting the winner, those private battles in the bottom half of the draw take on added significance.
Justin Rose of England, the 2007 European Number One, is paired with Australian Rod Pampling while Swede Peter Hanson has the opportunity to claim an impressive scalp in Major winner Vijay Singh of Fiji.
Two-time US Open Champion Retief Goosen of South Africa opens against the big-hitting Argentinian Andres Romero in the top half of the draw while two of Europe’s Ryder Cup stalwarts at The K Club, Paul Casey of England and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, are in direction opposition, as are Denmark’s Søren Hansen and England’s Ian Poulter.
No matter who emerges with the beautifully crafted WGC – Accenture Match Play trophy, the week ahead can already be gauged as a successful one for The European Tour, with that record 31 Members in Arizona.
The strength in depth on The European Tour is growing from week to week, a fact that Irishman Paul McGinley acknowledged last week in Indonesia.
“It’s so hard to pick a winner now because the fields are so close in terms of ability. It used to be that there were two or three levels of players. Now, although the levels are still there they are very tight and anybody can win.
“It has changed. It is just the natural evolution of the sport, and it happens in every sport. The young kids are going to come and that is the natural evolution of any sport or business and we are no different in the golfing world.
“You look back at the 80’s and 90’s with Faldo, Seve, Woosie, Lyle and Langer there was a lot of strength at the top and we were weaker down at the bottom end of the Order of Merit but that’s not the case anymore.
“Just look at the makeup of our Ryder Cup Team over the last few matches. We used to have to rely heavily on the top players and have them play five games but that’s not the case anymore. You can rest players because we are very strong from one to 12 and that has been the basis of our success over the last few years.”
