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WGC Match Play: Rip it up and start again

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A week to forget for our new man Steve Rawlings: he doesn't much care for match play. Here's to happier hunting at the Johnnie Walker Classic.

This week saw the first of the year's three World Golf Championships start on Wednesday in Arizona. The Accenture Matchplay is a seeded knockout event for the best 64 players in the world. With first round losers receiving a paltry $40,000, and the winner a staggering $1.35m, even Ernie made the effort to push his wheelbarrow to the desert. It's an event I perennially struggle with, consider a lottery, and dislike from a betting perspective.

I feel almost obliged to back Mickelson again at [16.0]. His record in this event is no better than mine but his draw looks kind. My other guesses are Scott ([20.0]), Casey ([80.0]), Cink ([85.0]), Ames ([95.0]), Poulter ([120.0]), Sterne ([180.0]), Dougherty ([200.0]) & Sendon ([310]). So just the nine selections!

In Mexico the Mayakoba Classic has an understandably second rate feel to it, and I've made seven selections ranging from Coceres at ([65.0]) to Petrovic at ([125.0]).

Day One

Often the most exiting day with 32 first round matches, there are always shocks and we nearly had an almighty one. My tactics were to restrict myself to only three singles. Sendon to beat Garcia at ([2.64]) who lost 3 & 2 and Dougherty at [2.5] to beat Donald who was defeated 2 & 1. My final selection was JB Holmes to beat Tiger Woods at a very fair [5.0]. Tiger hit his first shot out of bounds and struggled thereafter until the 14th hole. With Holmes leading by three holes with only five to play and trading below [1.1] and Tiger having been matched at a massive [40.0] in the outright, the tide turned. And boy did it turn, a Tiger birdie at 14 was followed by a horrendous three putt bogey for Holmes at 15 and the gap was down to one. Tiger then went birdie, eagle to be one up with one to play and when both players made par up 18 the magical comeback was complete. He really is an incredible phenomenon but I can't help thinking Holmes let him off the hook early doors.

So there it is: three singles, three losers. I was thankful that I didn't back my other fancied singles, Snedeker & Sterne, as they both lost as well! In addition, outright pick Ames somehow contrived to get knocked out when two up with two to play, his birdie at the 17th gazumped by Howell III's eagle. Five of my original nine had survived the first round.

Day Two

Only two singles, Boo Weekley, a [2.25] winner and Fasth, a [2.25] loser. Outright selections fare poorly. Mickelson & Scott managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Scott was frankly pathetic, missing a couple of four footers on 16 & 17 to hand the match to Woody Austin. And Mickelson came across an inspired Appleby who came back well to win, having been two down after six holes. Poulter battled back bravely from three down with four to play to miraculously draw his match against Choi on the 18th; only to bogey the first extra hole & thoroughly sodden my fried potato pieces! Only two picks left.

In Mexico the first round gets underway almost unnoticed. Both Coceres and Petrovic finish on 3 under, three behind the leader John Merrick. My other five selections appear lost causes already.

Day Three

Further misery with match bets as Pampling [2.38], despite being two up with two to play and trading at a low of [1.03], eventually lost to Singh as darkness fell at the seventh extra hole. The players would have been relieved to get back in the clubhouse as mountain lions are regular visitors to the course after dusk.

No complaints about my other selections' demise though. An absorbing match saw Baddeley ([4.5]) fight like a Trojan against Woods in what was without doubt the best scrap of the event so far. Both players had been at the very top of their games and traded birdies at will. Baddeley was finally defeated by a Woods birdie at the second extra hole, but as the cliché goes, lost nothing in defeat.

Two remaining picks became one when Casey, after a brave fight back, finally succumbed to Choi on the 18th. Meanwhile Cink beat Montgomerie fairly convincingly and I've managed to get one of my initial nine selections all the way through to the last eight. What an achievement!

In Mexico, Petrovic is my only hope. A one over par round leaves him on -2 and six back from leader Merrick. Coceres has plummeted down the leaderboard, the others have missed the cut, and Fernandez Castano (70) was disqualified for being more than ten minutes late for his tee time. As if it isn't hard enough this week!

Day Four

Both the semi & quarter finals played today and I'm again sucked into opposing Woods, this time in his quarter final tie with Choi at [4.1]. Choi plays ok but cant buy a putt and when Woods chips in for eagle on the 10th the writing's on the wall and he goes on to win 3 & 2.

Cink makes it through to play Leonard and Woods meets defending champion Stenson in the other semi final. I back Stenson in the outright market at [7.0], hoping he and Cink make it through to create a stress free profitable final. It doesn't work. Woods secures a comfortable 2up win, despite Stenson drawing level with a birdie at the 16th hole. Cink beats Leonard 4 & 2 but I'm hardly euphoric, to envisage him beating Woods over 36 holes takes a massive leap of faith.

The Mayokoba classic looks all over too, on a low scoring day Brian Gay has scooted five shots clear of the field and is trading at what looks a generous [1.48].

Day Five

A quite frankly dull and boring Sunday sees no surprises; Woods ([1.28]) beats a very lame Cink a staggering 8 & 7. In the 3rd place play off match I'm daft enough to back Leonard at [2.44] and he subsequently loses 3 & 2.

In Mexico Brian Gay holds his nerve well shooting one under to win by two, in an event I didn't play at all after my initial picks.

In summary, a very poor week. Lady luck has clearly deserted me, obviously busying herself in Thirsk. Maybe the Matchplay tactic should be to trade more as I had a few selections go heavy odds on and lose. Certainly regularly opposing Tiger didn't pay off. Or maybe the tactic should be to go away for the weekend and just ignore its existence!

Finally, some initial thoughts for next week. The Johnnie Walker Classic is staged at the DLF Country Club in India, where Jyoti Randawa, the DLF Country Clubs Brand Ambassador (whatever one of those is) won the DLF Masters by ten shots last year. So he may be worth an interest if the price is right.

In America the Honda Classic has a strong field and looks tough at first glance. Boo Weekley, in fair form at present, should have won there last year and Frank Lickliter might be worth a small stakes interest. The 2007 Tour School winner finished 13th here last year after starting the year with four consecutive missed cuts.