Updated: February 24, 2004, 5:25 PM ET
Match-by-match first-round preview
A quick look at Wednesday's 32 first-round matches at the Accenture Match Play Championship.
BOBBY JONES BRACKET | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchup | Tee time (ET) | Analysis | |
| 2:01 pm | Woods' 14-3 record at the Match Play is second to none, but even he is vulnerable in this format. Two top seeds were ousted in the first round last year, and Woods -- the defending champion this week -- was taken out in Round 1 in 2002. | ||
| (2) David Toms vs. (15) Niclas Fasth |
11:37 am | Toms reached the final last year, but will be hard-pressed to do the same this week. Coming off a wrist injury, he's played just one event all year. Expect him to come out rusty. | |
(14) Toshi Izawa |
Look for a possible upset here. Harrington has lost three of his last four first-round matches, while Izawa has won his last three. | ||
| (4) Thomas Bjorn vs. (13) Scott Hoch |
12:49 pm | Hoch has been great in this format, reaching the quarters two of the last three times he's played this event. | |
| (5) Fredrik Jacobson vs. (12) Phillip Price |
12:49 pm | A couple of Match Play rookies square off in this matchup. Expect up-and-comer Jacobson to win this match over the Ryder Cupper Price, who hasn't done much in two PGA Tour events in 2004. | |
| (6) Scott Verplank vs. (11) Bob Estes |
10:34 am | Verplank has reached the second round three of the last four years, though lost his opener last season. Estes was out in Round 1 in 2003 as well, but reached the quarterfinals the year before. | |
| (7) Paul Casey vs. (10) Shaun Micheel |
11:46 am | Match Play rookie Micheel hasn't done much since winning the PGA Championship last year. In his debut last year, Casey was ousted in the first round. | |
| (8) Trevor Immelman vs. (9) Shigeki Maruyama |
2:10 pm | The red-hot Maruyama is one of just seven players to have reached the quarterfinals in this event twice. The winner of this match faces a likely second-round clash with Tiger Woods. | |
GARY PLAYER BRACKET | |||
| Matchup | Tee time (ET) | Analysis | |
| (1) Vijay Singh vs. (16) Shingo Katayama |
2:37 pm | Singh missed this event last year due to a rib injury, but he won first-round matches here the two years prior. | |
| (2) Kenny Perry vs. (15) Jeff Sluman |
12:13 pm | Perry has never won a match at this event in three tries, while Sluman has never gotten past the second round in five tries. | |
| (3) Darren Clarke vs. (14) Eduardo Romero |
11:01 am | Clarke, the only player besides Tiger Woods with multiple WGC titles, won the Match Play in 2000 and reached the quarterfinals last year. He has a 9-3 career mark at this event. | |
| (4) Chad Campbell vs. (13) Tim Herron |
1:25 pm | Campbell will be making his Match Play debut this week, while Herron has won the only two first-round matches he's played here. | |
| (5) Jay Haas vs. (12) Loren Roberts |
1:34 pm | In his Match Play debut last year, Haas (a 16 seed) beat top-seeded Goosen and advanced all the way to the quarters. | |
| (6) Justin Leonard vs. (11) Alex Cejka |
11:10 am | Leonard has won four of his five career first-round matches, while Cejka was beaten by Toms in the third round last year in his first Match Play appearance. | |
| (7) Brad Faxon vs. (10) Steve Flesch |
12:22 pm | Combined, these two veterans have 35 years of experience on tour. Faxon, one of the tour's best putters, reached the semis in 2002, and has a 9-4 career Match Play record. | |
| (8) Jerry Kelly vs. (9) Sergio Garcia |
2:46 pm | Garcia reached the third round in his first two appearances at this event, but was taken out in the first round last year. Kelly reached the quarterfinals last year. | |
SAM SNEAD BRACKET | |||
| Matchup | Tee time (ET) | Analysis | |
| (1) Davis Love III vs. (16) Briny Baird |
2:55 pm | Love's reached the second round the last three times he's teed it up in this event, though he was throttled 7&6 in Round 2 last year. | |
| (2) Phil Mickelson vs. (15) Lee Westwood |
12:31 pm | A matchup of two potential Ryder Cuppers. Both have played well to begin the 2004 season. | |
| (3) Stuart Appleby vs. (14) Justin Rose |
11:19 am | Appleby, who won the season-opening Mercedes, has lost in the first round in four of his five appearances in this event. | |
| (4) Robert Allenby vs. (13) Brian Davis |
1:43 pm | Davis got into the Match Play with a win at the ANZ Championship a couple weeks ago. Allenby has a 3-3 career record here. | |
| (5) Adam Scott vs. (12) Miguel A. Jimenez |
1:52 pm | Scott gave Tiger a run for his money in last year's semifinals, taking him to 19 holes. Overall, he has a 6-2 record in two appearances. | |
| (6) Chris DiMarco vs. (11) Michael Campbell |
11:28 pm | Both have had mediocre results at the Match Play, combining for a 3-7 career record. | |
| (7) Charles Howell III vs. (10) Ben Curtis |
12:40 pm | A matchup of two young guns: the 2001 rookie of the year vs. the 2003 British Open champ. | |
| (8) Bob Tway vs. (9) Fred Couples |
3:04 pm | Both players have 2-2 career records. Couples faces a potential second-round matchup with good friend Davis Love III. | |
BEN HOGAN BRACKET | |||
| Matchup | Tee time (ET) | Analysis | |
| (1) Mike Weir vs. (16) Rich Beem |
2:19 pm | Weir is the only top seed never to have lost in the first round. Then again, he's never made it out of the second round, either. | |
| (2) Retief Goosen vs. (15) John Huston |
11:55 am | Goosen was one of two No. 1 seeds ousted in last year's first round. Huston made the semifinals in 1999, but has lost in the first round in his last three appearances here. | |
| (3) Jonathan Kaye vs. (14) Duffy Waldorf |
10:43 am | Both guys have played well the last couple months. Kaye won the FBR Open in January, while Waldorf has two top-5 finishes. | |
| (4) Nick Price vs. (13) Colin Montgomerie |
1:07 pm | One of the most intriguing matchups of the first round. Combined, they have 69 career wins around the world. | |
| (5) K.J. Choi vs. (12) Stewart Cink |
1:16 pm | Choi lost to Woods in the second round last year, while Cink has lost his last three first-round matches. | |
| (6) Chris Riley vs. (11) Ian Poulter |
10:52 am | If Riley can get it going on the soft greens, expect him to roll over Poulter. | |
| (7) Peter Lonard vs. (10) Rocco Mediate |
12:04 pm | Lonard was one of the biggest surprises last year, reaching the semifinals before being ousted by Toms 1-up. | |
| (8) Stephen Leaney vs. (9) Fred Funk |
2:28 pm | Funk has been terrible at the Match Play, losing in the first round all four times he played. Leaney reached the third round last year. | |
David Lefort is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at david.m.lefort@espn3.com.
