2007 WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship It's Time Once Again for Match Play Madness By GolfChannel.com Team - February 20, 2007 2007- WGC-AccentureThe year's first World Golf Championship event is upon us and with it comes one predictable element - that it's just plain unpredictable. To borrow the moniker from college basketball's NCAA tournament in March, the PGA TOUR's version could very well be called 'February Madness.' Sure, Tiger Woods has won it twice, but the unpredictable factor in those two years was that it came in the back-to-back seasons in which he didn't chalk up even one major title -- two of the poorest seasons in his career. Go figure. Like all the players are fond of saying, "Over 18 holes anything can happen." Translation: match play is utterly unpredictable to the point where anybody can beat anybody. Many would argue that this is a good thing. Like, say, a Kevin Sutherland, the 2002 winner of this event. Tiger Woods Tiger Woods has two wins in this event and a runner-up showing. (WireImage) As far as forecasting the outcome of the ninth edition of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, well, that's a fool's game really. But armed with the following shag bag full of information, you will hopefully be at least a wise fool. # We obviously start with Tiger. Like we mentioned, he's a two-time winner here and a player with legendary match play skills -- think six straight USGA amateur titles. As a professional, he has more than backed up that status with an overall record of 23-5 at this event. Throw in a combined 6-2-1 record from the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup singles matches and Mr. Woods is clearly the man to beat. However, he was bounced out by Chad Campbell in the third round last year and Nick O'Hern clipped him in the second round in 2005. He also fell to Peter O'Malley -- who? -- in the first round in 2002. # In 2002, the final four consisted of the 62nd, the 45th, the 47th, and the 35th seeds. Last season was just as topsy-turvy with the 52nd, 23rd, 59th and 41st seeds advancing to the final four. # Seven of the first eight years of its existence, the event was played at La Costa Resort and Spa (the lone exception being a trip to Australia in 2001). This year, though, the tournament is moving to the spectacular The Gallery at Dove Mountain in Tucson, Ariz. Any familiarity players had with this event will now be gone. It is a 7,351-yard, par-72 layout. # The first round pairing that looks to be the most evenly matched - at least on paper - is Tim Clark versus Robert Allenby. They sit 32nd and 33rd, respectively, in the seedings. Clark has never won a match in three appearances. Allenby's record is a respectable 8-6 and is coming off a third-place finish at Riviera. Australia over South Africa in Rd. 1. # A couple of seeds that might not deserve a second look are the 64th, the 58th and the 51st. They have combined to win just four out of 28 matches. # Last year, little known Geoff Ogilvy came to this event ranked 53rd in the world. Six matches later - the first four of them going extra holes - and a win over Davis Love III in the finals and the Aussie was the toast of the town. Several months later Ogilvy was the last man standing at Winged Foot and the new U.S. Open champion. Sometimes a win in such a big event as this can do wonders for your confidence. # Then again sometimes not (see the aforementioned Kevin Sutherland, who also happened to be the highest seed to ever win the event). # Although the world rankings have changed dramatically over the past several years, with less and less Americans appearing in the top 50 spots, the USA has twice been the only country represented in the final four. First in 1999 and then again in 2002. That being said, this year marks the fewest amount of Americans ever in the field - 23. It also marks the most countries ever to be represented - 19. # Historically, the No. 5 seed - this year it's the Ernie Els - has the only losing record among the top-16 seeds with a overall record of just 6-8. The best records belong to those of No. 1 (thanks to Tiger), No. 3 and 4, and Nos. 6, 10 and 14. David Toms David Toms put on a remarkable display of golf en route to his win in 2005. (WireImage) # Phil 'Hop on my Roller Coaster' Mickelson. Don't bet on Lefty sticking around too long this week. It's his sixth straight event and coming off another disaster equates to 'let's go home and hang out with the family.' He has only gotten past the third round once in eight starts and has twice been bounced in the first round. # David Toms' play in the 2005 edition was nothing short of amazing. On the way to the finals, he disposed of Mickelson, Adam Scott and Ian Poulter. And that was just the appetizer. In the final, he took down one of the grittiest match play players in Chris DiMarco, 6 and 5. Toms lost in the third round last year. # And Toms' first round opponent this year? Arron Oberholser. Toms would appear to have a really good chance to advance seeing as Oberholser is day-to-day with an injury that was supposed to keep him out of action for at least another week or two. # By making the field this year, Stuart Appleby will be the only player to play in all nine WGC-Match Play events. Quantity doesn't translate into quality however, as he has exited in Rd. 1 on five occasions. Best run was in 2001when he made it to the third round. # World No. 2 Jim Furyk has competed in the WGC-Match Play six times. Three times he has left after Rd. 1 - including the last two seasons - and three times he has only managed to make it to just the third round. # Currently ranked 14th in the world, Paul Casey will look to keep his hot streak in match play going. He was a huge winner at the HSBC World Match Play Championship last fall in England, where he took down Retief Goosen, Mike Weir and European Ryder Cup teammate Colin Montgomerie before pummeling Shaun Micheel, 10 and 8, in the final. # Speaking of the HSBC World Match Play Championship, Ernie Els has a phenomenal record in that particular match play event, winning the title on six separate occasions. Twice he has pulled off the trifecta, capturing the event three straight times - 1994, '95, '96 and then again in 2002, '03, '04. At this particular match play event, however, his results have been less than stellar. He has played it six times and has only once made it past the second round. Els, for one, is ecstatic that the tournament has changed locations. # The largest margin of victory was Tiger's 9-and-8 thumping of Stephan Ames last year's first round. That demolition was preceded by some regretful remarks by Ames, in which he said that he felt he could beat Tiger. Brett Quigley, who was set to be matched against Tiger before a withdrawal changed his opponent to Furyk, has since turned Ames' name into a verb, saying this past week that he'd avoid any smack talk with Tiger in order to not, 'Stephan Ames this.' # The first round will be played Wednesday followed by round two on Thursday, the third round Friday, and then both the quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday. The 36-hole final will be played on Sunday. There is also an 18-hole consolation match to determine third and fourth place on Sunday. # GOLF CHANNEL will have exclusive coverage of the first three days of action beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, along with weekend morning coverage beginning at 10:00 a.m.