World Match Play / Tareq Quiroz / 25 February 2009 / Leave a comment

Tareq Quiroz is thoroughly excited by the return of the world's best golfer to competitive action ... though he won't be tipping him up to win the tournament.

We finally saw some serious action from the world's top players last week and not before time. With the first really big event just around the corner the big boys stepped up to the plate in what was a cracking event at Riviera. The twists and turns in the final round were just what an in-running player would have wanted. Talking of twists and turns you will see more than enough of those in this week's World Matchplay. It will be fun filled drama from day one. Oh, and did I mention that Tiger is back?

The Course
Unhelpfully this year's course is a totally new track with no form whatsoever to assist us. The only solace you can take from that is that if ever there was a format of the game where the style of course was least relevant then it is most certainly matchplay. Essentially you just play the man and the number scored isn't important as long as it is better than the guy you are playing.

It is a good job that Jack Nicklaus doesn't have to play much anymore as he spends far too much time designing courses. Another of his masterpieces, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club is set in the Dove Mountain resort of the Arizona desert. One thing this course does have is terrific views from an idyllic setting. The players however will not be concerned about that as they tackle a course that measure a full 7,800 yards. There is a slight altitude in that part of the world so in truth it will play more like 7,500 yards. For those of you playing in-running the main feedback we have had from the practice rounds is that the greens are brutally sloped. Keep an eye on that as the player closest to the hole may not be favourite for the hole.

The Favourite
Normal service is resumed. For months now I have actually had events where I had to speculate who would start the jolly for a tournament. Tiger will have loved to see his main rivals scrambling around in his absence. Never fear however, the great man is back and let's just hope he stays in one piece now. You never know for certain how he will return from knee surgery but you can only assume that if he is back he is ready to compete.

I think it is fair to say that the Matchplay has never been one of Tigers favoured events and as such you often see him start a slightly bigger price than you would in a strokeplay tournament. Of course he will be the market leader for this tournament and will probably go off at around [6.2]. That may look big in a few days time but it's not a price for me. Rest assured that Tiger will be back as good as ever, but to win this week may just be asking a little too much.

The Next Best Bets
The more I look through the top echelons of the field the less enthralled I am about backing one of them to take the title this week. Mickelson must merit respect after last week's win but he is not for me in this format. The man who he overcame last week does though catch my eye. Steve Stricker was a little unfortunate to get done on the line last week and as a former winner of this event he must be a consideration. A man in form you could certainly do worse than have him on your side at current odds of [55.0].

Another player in good form last week was South African Rory Sabbatini. He is by no means my favourite player and it take a lot for me to even mention him as a potential tip but he does like matchplay golf and he is in good nick. At odds of around [70.0] he represents great value and he has to be in your staking plan.

The Massive Outsider
There are a few juicy prices out there for the big odds hunters. I can't say that I particularly fancy any of the extravagantly priced runners but there are a few others that will net you a tidy profit. My first stop is with Justin Leonard. He may not have been in the most sparkling form this year, but matchplay is a format he likes and if we can just get him through the first couple of rounds he will be a massive danger. As such he really does need supporting at odds of [120.0].

From the European side I do think Oliver Wilson is a little big at [250.0] but the man who has really burst onto the scene over the last year is Spaniard Alvaro Quiros. He has developed a useful knack of winning tournaments and for me is still at a stage in his career where he is a little underrated. This monster hitter may intimidate a few of his rivals and for me is a stand out pick at odds of around [90.0].

Interesting Info
Tiger holds the record for the two biggest wins in this event so do not be surprised if he totally slams one of his rivals this week. Of all the WGC events this one has the greatest propensity to throw up surprise winners such as Maggert, Stricker and Sutherland. So whatever you do this week do not discount players purely because of ranking.