Accenture Match Play Championship Betting Odds

Yes, it’s March Madness golf style as we close the month of February on the Tour. The PGA changes format for the week at the 2011 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship as 64 of the world’s elite golfers go head-to-head in a bracket style competition. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, no-shows in 2010, have committed to this one, so it should be an exciting weekend.

Accenture Match Play Championship Betting Odds

2011 World Golf Championship – Accenture Match Play Preview

The site is the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain Course in Tucson, AZ. The single elimination 18-hole events pits player vs. player and player vs. course, as the best score per hole wins the hole, and whoever wins the most holes, wins the match. The Jack Nicklaus designed 7,833 yard, par 72 layout will force players to take chances in order to best their opponent. The players are divided into four brackets, seeded one through 16 with the brackets named in honor of four of golf’s greatest players; Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Sam Snead and Bobby Jones.

This year marks the first time in the tournament’s 13-year history that the final match will be an 18-hole battle; previously the final had been 36 holes. The quarterfinals are set for Saturday while the semifinals will take place on Sunday morning with the final match on Sunday afternoon. The winner takes home the coveted Walter Hagen Cup, plus a cool $1.4 million

The top four seeds and their bracket names are: Lee Westwood (Bobby Jones); Phil Mickelson (Ben Hogan); Martin Kaymer (Gary Player) and Tiger Woods (Sam Snead). These are the top four ranked golfers in the world according to the PGA and the World Golf Association. Westwood, the world’s number one, has by far the easiest bracket especially with Anthony Kim pulling out of last week’s tournament due to illness. His chief rival may come in his first match as he tangles with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. Nick Watney, Retief Goosen and Steve Stricker are also in his bracket. Expect Westwood to emerge if he wins his opening match, otherwise Stricker will be the best bet in this group.

The winner of Jones Division will face the winner of the Hogan group led by Mickelson. Lefty will face challenges from defending champion Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar and Robert Allenby. Poulter will be tested on his first tee against Stewart Cink who is as capable as anyone of pulling an upset in this format. Mickelson has played well to date this year but can be erratic in the match-play format. A consistent player does best here and look for Poulter or Allenby to be the winners.

On the other side, world number two Martin Kaymer has Rory McIlroy, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Robert Karlsson to contend with, not to mention Zach Johnson who drew an eighth seed. The Player bracket is rated the second toughest. The Kaymer-Johnson match will be a joy to watch. The big German however, has been such an unknown to most US golf fanatics that he will be viewed as a surprise if he manages to reach the final four. Don’t be surprised, he has been the best golfer in Europe for over a year and the desert heat won’t spoil his game. Furyk is your dark horse bet here.

Finally, the Snead bracket is by far the hardest of the four groups. Woods will have his hands full with Thomas Bjorn in his first match. Others in the group include Padraig Harrington, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Ernie Els and Geoff Ogilvy, plus the hottest golfer in the US so far this season – Bill Haas. Woods is one of the best at match play and has won this tournament 3 times before (’03, ’04, ’08), but he is far from the top of his game. Look for Els or Johnson to emerge from this group.

A final four of Westwood, Kaymer, Mickelson and Woods is a long shot, and we’re betting on a Final Four of Stricker, Kaymer, Poulter and Johnson with Kaymer to take home the big prize.

Bet on the 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship at Sportsbook.com