PGA TOUR Tournament
Event:
World Golf Championship – Accenture Match Play Championship
Location:
Marana, Arizona
Date:
February 17 – 21, 2010
Golf Course:
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club
Purse:
$8,500,000.00
2009 Winner:
Geoff Ogilvy
World Golf Championship – Accenture Match Play Championship Review:
Well, another PGA TOUR tournament creating lots of buzz although the tv ratings will most likely be down again with the absence of Tiger Woods. Why is this tournament creating lots of buzz? Mainly because Tiger Woods still isn’t back playing on the PGA TOUR. I’m going to discuss Tiger first to get it out of the way, and I prefer talking more about the positives.
Yes, Tiger once again will not be playing in this weeks PGA TOUR event. Most “experts” were predicting Tiger to make his return this week, which I always predict as no way, Jose. For those who don’t recall, Accenture was a big sponsor of Tiger Woods but dropped him after the November incident like most other sponsors did. So in my opinion, why would Tiger want to play in an event where one of his sponsors that dropped him is the Title Sponsor for the PGA TOUR tournament? He wouldn’t!
The other buzz going around this event is the absence of #3 World Ranking Phil Mickelson. Yes, you read right, #3 in the World not #2. Steve Stricker surpassed Mickelson the other week as the #2 player in the World Golf Ranking, at least for now. However, since Phil has strong roots in Arizona and a great winning record in the state, and his great match-play record throughout his career, I was very surprised not to see him playing. Actually, he would have been my pick to win the event.
Nonetheless, this is a World Golf Championship event, which means the top 64 ranked players throughout the world are invited and most are playing. Match Play golf tournaments are always exciting to watch, and it’s nice to see a different format from the usual stroke play event that most PGA TOUR tournaments consist of.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain is a phenomenal golf course and destination designed by legendary Jack Nicklaus. The golf course can stretch out to over 7,800 yards, holy smokes! However, they most likely will not be playing from the “tips” but I’m sure in the near future they will be the way equipment technology continues to advance. Either way, this course will be playing long and I foresee a long ball hitter winning this prestigious title.
At most of the top betting sites, Geoff Ogilvy, defending champion, Steve Stricker, and Rory Mcllroy are the 3 favorites to win at +1500 odds. I was very surprised to see Roy Mcllroy as one of the 3 favorites for several reasons, especially since he is having back problems as of recent. As mentioned above, I think a long ball hitter is going to win this tournament. I few of the players I like are Geoff Ogilvy, Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, and Ernie Els.
Below are the top 9 players predicted to win with the lowest odds on Sportsbook.com.
Geoff Ogilvy +1500
Steve Stricker +1500
Rory Mcllroy +1500
Lee Westwood +2000
Martin Kaymer +2000
Paul Casey +2500
Henrik Stenson +2500
Padraig Harrington +2500
Anothony Kim +2500
Odds are subject to change. To view the rest of the players and field odds, visit Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% bonus.
