Wednesday, Feb. 20,
2002
Good play, good
players don't always cut it
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) - No. 1 has never meant so little.
Even when No. 1 is Tiger Woods.
Woods leaned back against a sofa and propped his feet on the table
Tuesday as he studied the brackets from the Match Play Championship,
a single-elimination tournament featuring the top 64 players in
the world.
"It's anyone's tournament to win," he said, and this
time he wasn't just spouting off a stock answer.
One pairing that caught his attention was PGA champion David Toms,
the No. 6 seed, going up against No. 59 Rory Sabbatini of South
Africa, whose only PGA Tour victory came two years ago in British
Columbia.
Sabbatini finished one stroke behind last week at Riviera, and
was three strokes behind the week before in San Diego.
"Look at this one," Woods said. "As good as Rory
has been playing lately, that would not really be an upset."
About that time, Peter O'Malley walked by carrying a full set
of clubs without the bag. Woods has never played in the same group
with the Australian, although that will change Wednesday morning
when they shake hands on the first tee.
What does he know about O'Malley?
"Hits it straight," Woods said, always a key component
in match play.
A short time later, Woods walked along a terrace toward the practice
range. O'Malley stopped what he was doing on the putting green
below and eyeballed his opponent until Woods was out of sight.
OK, perhaps being the No. 1 player in the world with six major
championships has a few psychological advantages, but not enough
to guarantee a victory in the first round.
It all begins to unfold on Wednesday when the Accenture Match
Play Championship, one of the most dynamic events in golf, gets
under way.
As further evidence that the seedings mean nothing, that the line
between the top and the bottom is finer than in any other sport,
consider the short history of this World Golf Championship event.
In the inaugural event three years ago at La Costa, No. 24 Jeff
Maggert defeated No. 50 Andrew Magee in the final. A year ago
in Australia, even though 28 of the top 64 players skipped the
tournament, the final came down to No. 55 Steve Stricker beating
No. 21 Pierre Fulke of Sweden.
Woods reached the final two years ago, losing to No. 19 Darren
Clarke. That makes Woods the only player seeded in the top 16
to even reach the final.
Better proof is Steve Flesch.
The lefty from Kentucky went to Australia year hitting the ball
pure - so good, in fact, that Flesch was 5-under par after the
first nine holes at Metropolitan Golf Club in his opening match
against Per-Ulrik Johansson. And he was 2 down.
The Swede closed him out on the 14th hole, 10 under for his round.
In the second round, Johansson was closed out on the 15th hole.
"All I remember is that it was a long way to go to shoot
5 under in nine holes and have to go home," Flesch said.
He was supposed to play Fred Funk until a few guys withdrew and
jumbled the brackets. Funk, beaten 4 and 3 by Fulke, flew home
with Flesch.
"He was 1 or 2 over and said, 'If you were playing me, you
would have been 7-up at the turn,'" Flesch said. "But
that's the fickle nature of match play."
The Match Play Championship is the most fascinating of the WGC
events because so much is left to chance, and the tournament develops
so quickly. Woods won three of his majors by opening with a 70.
That kind of round could send him home in a hurry.
He had first-rounds scores of 65, 66 and 67 in three other majors.
That kind of round might not be good enough, either.
"You're not trying to beat the golf course, you're just trying
to beat an opponent," Jose Maria Olazabal said. "All
you have to do is just score one less than he does on every hole.
If that has to be a 3, then it will be a 3. If that has to be
a 6, then it will be a 6."
Sound simple enough?
Woods loves the idea of match play, which had been missing on
the PGA Tour since a two-year run in Tucson, Ariz., until the
WGC revived the format. This is the only WGC event he has failed
to win, and it means enough to him that Woods took last week off
to get over the flu and get his game in shape.
"Just going head-to-head, and looking them right in the eye
for however many holes it takes," Woods said of his affection
for match play. "Win or lose, it's a pretty neat feeling."
Not everyone agrees.
David Duval, the No. 3 seed who plays Kevin Sutherland, has never
been fond of the idea that a guy who shoots 75 could advance,
and someone who shoots 64 could go home.
Olazabal is one of the best Ryder Cup players for Europe. Give
him 72 holes of stroke play any time.
"You have to give your best, and you enjoy it when you deliver,"
he said. "But imagine that you can play a great round, but
your opponent has a better day and you end up losing. I don't
think there's much fun about it."
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