Preview: WGC Accenture Matchplay Championship

After an eight-month layoff Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf, joining the 64 man field for the WGC Accenture Matchplay Championship at Dove Mountain in Arizona.

Tiger Woods Accenture Matchplay
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The top 64 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking will fight to make it through six rounds of knockout matchplay to become the WGC Accenture Matchplay champion. It’s one of the richest tournaments of the year with $8,000,000 up for grabs. Even those who lose out in the first round pick up $40,000. Tiger Woods makes his long awaited return after 254 days away from the pro game. The World Number One, the defending champion, faces Brendan Jones of Australia in the first round. It’s a testing event for Woods to come back in. If he makes it all the way to the final it will be seven rounds including 36-holes in Sunday’s final. On the other hand, there’s every chance of an ignominious early round exit. The gunslingers will be out for Woods and, over 18-holes matchplay, the tournament rusty Woods could provide a fairly easy target.

Venue: Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Arizona Date: Feb 25 – Mar 1 Course stats: par 72, 7,833 yards Purse: $8,500,000 Winner: $1,350,000 Defending champion: Tiger Woods (beat Stewart Cink by 8&7)

TV coverage: Wednesday 25th – Live on Sky Sports 3 from 7pm Thursday 26th – Live on Sky Sports 3 from 7pm Friday 27th – Live on Sky Sports 3 from 7pm Saturday 28th – Live on Sky Sports 3 from 3pm Sunday 1st – Live on Sky Sports 3 from 3pm player watch: Tiger Woods - The World Number One makes a return to action following an injury-enforced layoff from competitive golf since the 2008 US Open. Henrik Stenson – The Swede has a solid record in this event and was winner back in 2007, he’s a steely matchplay competitor. Rory McIlroy – The young Northern Irishman has already stepped up a level in 2009. This could be the perfect event for him to make his mark – if both players make it through the first two rounds, McIlroy will face Woods in round three.

Key hole: The matchplay format means any hole could prove to be the crucial turning point. Skills required: The long ball. The altitude of Dove Mountain means the ball will travel further but, at 7,800 yards, the Ritz-Carlton is a monster. The big hitters will have a distinct advantage here.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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