WGC Accenture Match Play: Four to back and four to avoid

Golf Bets / Paul Krishnamurty / 21 February 2012 / 1

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Not many players get the better of Ian Poulter in matchplay golf

"No player improves more when switching to matchplay than Ian Poulter, who won the 2010 renewal and has a tournament record that belies his rankings over the same period."

With a plethora of individual matches to bet on at Dove Mountain, Paul Krishnamurty marks your card with four matchplay specialists to follow, along with four big names whose record in this competition makes them well worth opposing.

We've seen it time and time again, whether it's the WGC - Accenture Match Play which starts on Wednesday, the Volvo-sponsored version or in team competitions like the Ryder Cup. Matchplay golf is a refined art, quite distinct from strokeplay. Some players thrive under head to head conditions, others hate it.

Below is my Masters and Mugs, four matchplay experts and four who haven't exactly excelled in this format in recent years.

Matchplay Masters

Luke Donald
Tournament record: Won 16, Lost 6
Outright odds: [19.0]

No prizes for originality here, but the defending champion's wider matchplay record confirms his status as the man to beat in Arizona. Donald was also runner-up in last year's Volvo World Match Play, and has won two out of three singles matches at the Ryder Cup. A first-round draw against Ernie Els may look daunting at first glance, but the Big Easy has never been seen to best effect in this event.

Ian Poulter
Tournament record: Won 18, Lost 8
Outright odds: [34.0]

No player improves more when switching to matchplay than Poulter, who won the 2010 renewal and has a tournament record that belies his rankings over the same period. Poulter also won last year's Volvo renewal, and has a perfect three from three in Ryder Cup singles. Something about head to head golf repeatedly brings out the best in him.

Geoff Ogilvy
Tournament record: Won 20, Lost 4
Outright odds: [60.0]

If anybody warrants the title of tournament specialist, it has to be twice champion and thrice finalist Ogilvy. Even the few dents in an awesome 84% strike-rate are nothing to be ashamed of, such as last year's defeat to a peak-form Bubba Watson, who produced an unbeatable standard in their match.

Hunter Mahan
Tournament record: Won 4, Lost 4
Outright odds: [60.0]

Mahan's matchplay credentials are less clear-cut than the others, but there is enough in his record to suggest he loves the format. Most impressive was a semi-final appearance in the 2007 HSBC-sponsored version at Wentworth - despite a considerable disadvantage in terms of course experience. Hunter was also extremely impressive when winning four from five points at the last Presidents Cup, and fared better in Ryder Cups than the bare numbers suggest, having often been drawn against top opponents such as European talisman Graeme McDowell last time.

Matchplay Mugs

Lee Westwood
Tournament record: Won 6, Lost 17
Outright odds: [20.0]

After repeatedly failing in this event, Phil Mickelson withdrew this year and I suspect Lee Westwood might have been tempted to follow suit. In 11 attempts, he's yet to go beyond the second round. His body language and attitude has often looked less than convincing, suggesting 18-hole matchplay on a US course just isn't his thing.

Sergio Garcia
Tournament record: Won 11, Lost 10
Outright odds: [22.0]

Though Garcia is not without some happy matchplay memories, his record barely warrants this week's short odds. Despite thriving in Ryder Cup fourballs and foursomes, he's only won one out of five singles matches. Somewhere along the line this week, a bad putting day looks bound to put paid to his bid.

Dustin Johnson
Tournament record: Won 0, Lost 3
Outright odds: [36.0]

Though one of the top US strokeplay stars, Dustin has yet to make any impact at matchplay, losing all three first round matches in Arizona. He was also extremely disappointing in the USA's recent Presidents Cup victory.

Tiger Woods
Tournament record: Won 32, Lost 8
Outright odds: [15.0]

Don't blink. The three-time champion with an 80% strike-rate controversially makes the matchplay mugs' list. Comparisons with Tiger's glory years are meaningless. He was virtually unbeatable anywhere in those days, yet still managed to come a cropper against the likes of Jeff Maggert, Peter O'Malley and Nick O'Hern, which would have been unimaginable in strokeplay. Woods has always been more vulnerable in this format than strokeplay, and there are plenty of tough hurdles in his section of the draw. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is no pushover on Wednesday, and if he progresses, Nick Watney looks a daunting second-round opponent.

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Dan Geraghty | 22 February 2012

Scandalous selection of Tiger as a matchplay mug Paul!! Good luck with the others though!