WGC Match Play

2 up, 2 down

Written: February 26, 2007
Are you old enough to remember that the PGA Championship was actually played under a match play format? The Tour changed it to medal play about 20 years ago. What a shame because it's soooo much fun to watch. Bracketology is a kick! Especially on the first day with the camera bouncing all over the course to catch the action of 32 matches. It is clearly the best golfing Wednesday of the year. But after Tiger got ousted in the third round by the Aussie, Nick O'Hern, it was kinda anti-climactic. As it turns out, the foreign contingent of 35 of the 64 players ended up with three players in the semi's. GolfWeek thinks it makes sense that the rest of the world is catching up to, and perhaps surpassing, American golfers....there are just more people elsewhere on the planet to draw from.

It was a fun time on Sunday to root against a player...in this case, Geoff Ogilvy. Three of youse (Art, short-hitting Jim Brady and Rocky from WI) had him as their dartboard pick. Ogilvy seemed to run out of gas on the last nine holes and admitted during the post-game interview that he was looking for his swing all day. Nobody I know (except Nick Faldo of TV fame who was crowing all weekend about Henrik Stenson's game) picked the eventual winner. The final match was grueling, what with 5 lead changes and neither player getting more than 2-up at any time. Kevin LeDuc & Bob Lutz had the good/lucky sense to pick 3rd place finisher, Trevor Immelman and Donald Herron padded his pool lead with a nice payday for Chad Campbell who was the last American standing.

The biggest leaps in the pool standings were made by Mr. Poppy Hills himself (Art) who jumped from 15th to 10th, and Rocky, who jumped five places from 13th to 8th. Whats it feel like Art, to get off the schnide? Meanwhile, I feel like that guy in the USGA commercial who's sitting outside the starter's shack in a downpour...looking for a game and a break in the weather. It's clear that I'm in the crapper with the Croppers.

The companion tournament, played in Mexico, yielded Perry Sato (Jeff Sluman) a tie for 13th and some cash. Most picks were NO-SHOWS, which is typical for this type of event. My guess is that a bunch of guys outside the top 64 chose to take the week off and rest up for the Florida swing. Geoff Ogilvy decided to not show up at the Honda. I guess me and Perry and Pat and the Croppers will eat some worms this week. There are five who like Toms.