Feb13 Matchplay
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There could be some crunch matches in the up-coming Accenture Match Play Championship.
An initial draw has been made, but a lot could change if players withdraw.
Brett Quigley did enough at Pebble Beach to stay put at No. 64 in the world ranking Monday and grab the last spot in the field. That’s the good news.
The bad news? If no one withdraws by next Monday, Quigley will play Tiger Woods in the first round at The Gallery outside Tucson.
Woods is the No. 1 seed as he goes after his eighth consecutive PGA Tour victory. The other top seeds are Jim Furyk, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson. The tournament begins next Wednesday and the field will be set next Monday.
The field continues to reflect dwindling U.S. presence in the world rankings, with a record-low 22 Americans in the field, down from 25 a year ago and 40 in the first year of this WGC event in 1999.
Europe has 19 players in the field, and four players from its Ryder Cup team could face each other in the opening round – Sergio Garcia against Darren Clarke, and Lee Westwood against Padraig Harrington.
But those pairings, including Woods vs. Quigley, hinges on everyone showing up. And most of the attention is on Arron Oberholser, who is recovering from bulging disks in his back and is hopeful of returning at the Match Play.
