Accenture WGC Match Play Finals

David Toms continued his hot ball striking to capture the Accenture WGC Match Play Finals.

David TomsSixty-four players, 108 holes of golf, just one winner. David Toms continued his golf clinic throughout the finals of the Accenture WGC Match Play Finals today. Toms posted a 6 and 5 victory over Chris DiMarco, and may have displayed some of the best ball striking the PGA Tour has ever seen. In the consolation match, Retief Goosen and Ian Poulter exchanged birdies back and forth until Goosen finally won on the second playoff hole.

The field was finally trimmed to two players. Although it wasn’t the matchup many wanted, there was no shortage of great golf to be seen today. A total of 36 holes would decide the winner, which should provide more than enough time to sort out the true champion. Just how did Toms manage to severely trounce a player of DiMarco’s caliber?

Chrysler Classic: New Faces and Old Places

Geoff Ogilvy became the 14th first time winner at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson winning a playoff against Kevin Na.

Geoff OgilvyThe Chrysler Classic of Tucson has become the premier event for first time winners on the PGA Tour. Today, Australian Geoff Ogilvy joined the winners club thanks to his clutch performance on the second playoff hole. Ogilvy began the day tied for the lead along with Kevin Na, the youngest player on Tour. When regulation was over, three players were tied for the lead at -19. Ogilvy, Na, and veteran Mark Calcavecchia who battled for a round of 69 to get into the playoff.

On the first playoff hole, Calcavecchia found a fairway bunker and took two shots to finally escape netting a double bogey which took him out of the running for the title. This was Calcavecchia’s 26th time to place 2nd in a tournament. Ogilvy made par easily while Na scrambled to get up and down from the rough to save par and extend the playoff. The next hole was the par-5 10th. Both Na and Ogilvy missed the fairway and ended up in a grove of trees.

Accenture WGC Match Play Semi-Finals

And then there were two. Chris DiMarco gutted out a victory against Retief Goosen while David Toms dominated Ian Poulter to set the finals for the WGC Match Play.

Chris DiMarco and David TomsNo bracket could have predicted this outcome. How could just one top-seed make it through to the semi-finals? Although the dream match of Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson didn’t materialize, the semi-finals of the Accenture WGC World Match Play provided some memorable golf. The matches were set. The first match of the day would pit uber-conservative David Toms against bleach-blond, spiky-haired Ian Poulter. In the second match, Chris DiMarco a fiery competitor would take on Retief Goosen the stoic South African. Could there be any greater contrast in styles? So how did these fire and ice matches play out?

Chrysler Classic of Tucson Round 3

Leaders change by the day at this year’s Chrysler Classic. There are eight players within 4 strokes of the lead, it’s anyone’s tournament.

kevin_na.jpgYou better keep your eye on Kevin Na. He is the youngest player on the PGA tour but is getting used to feeling the weekend heat, finishing ahead of second round leader Calcavecchia. He finished tied for second at the FBR Open behind Phil Mickelson earlier this month and is showing maturity and poise against some great golfers this season. Na’s 7 under 65 was good enough to tie Geoff Ogilvy for today’s lead.

The PGA Tour is going to benefit greatly from young guns like Na breaking onto the scene and racking up wins early in their career. Look no further than the early years of Tiger’s career to prove what a boost young talent can be to the game of golf.

Chrysler Classic of Tucson Round 2

Calcavecchia’s touch on the putting green puts him one stroke ahead of first round leader Mayfair.

chrysler_classic.gifThe Chrysler Classic in some people’s minds (perhaps mine) plays second fiddle to the Accenture WGC World Match Play. While that may or may not be true the Classic allows some less prominent figures on the PGA tour to strut their stuff as is proved by the occupants of the winner’s circle for the last five years: Carter, Willis, Leggatt, Lickliter and Slocum.

Today’s leader, Mark Calcavecchia, proved today that he can get the job done on the putting green. He two-putted from 65 feet for birdie on the par-5 10th, two-putted again from 30 feet at the second hole (having started on the back nine), drained a 23-footer for birdie at the fifth, and sunk a 37-footer for eagle at the par-5 eighth. With his solid performance on the putting green and lack of bogies Calcavecchia went to 15 under and moved into the lead.

Accenture WGC World Match Play Rounds 2 & 3

Friday was a day of sun and upsets at the Accenture WGC Match Play Championship.

goosen.jpgWhen Friday began at the World Match Play, the big news was that the tour would be able to complete two days of golf in a row without being interrupted by the rains that have been so oppressive over the last week in Southern California. By the end of the day, the big story changed from the beautiful weather to the huge upsets occurring throughout the day.

Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, and Davis Love III all were eliminated. Talk about busted brackets. Retief Goosen and Stewart Cink remain the only 1 and 2-seeds still alive.

Accenture WGC World Match Play Round 1

The first round of the Match Play Championships yielded some expected results and some real shockers.

World Golf ChampionshipsCall it February madness, the Accenture WGC World Match Play Championships are the closest thing the golf world has to NCAA basketball’s big dance. Thankfully, Lake La Costa managed to dry up enough to allow play to continue albeit with minor alterations. The 467-yard 9th hole is normally a par-4, but the torrential rains forced tournament organizers to change it into a 160-yard par-3. The first round of competition included some very surprising results for high-seeded players. Earlier this week, we gave you our predictions of just how the tournament would pan out on each round. How did we do?

Chrysler Classic of Tucson

The WGC Match Play Championship isn’t the only PGA tournament in town, going into its 11th year, the Chrysler Classic of Tuscon is gaining notariety.

Mark CalcavecchiaAlthough the Accenture WGC Matchplay Championship garners much of the media attention this week, there is another PGA Tour event with some recognizable names teeing it up this week in Tucson, Arizona. The Chrysler Classic of Tucson was born out of necessity seven years ago so players who fail to qualify for the Matchplay have a chance to compete and improve their world ranking. After the first round, Billy Mayfair and Mario Tiziani are tied for the lead at -9. Veteran Mark Calcavecchia, Michael Allen, Lucas Glover, and Darron Stiles are one back at -8. The event is played at the Omni Tuscon National Resort and the event is known for very low scoring. In 2004, Heath Slocum won the event with a final score of -22, 2003’s champion Frank Lickliter won with a total of -19.

They Say it Never Rains in Southern California

Heavy rains have caused another delay, this time the victim is the Accenture Matchplay Championships at La Costa Resort.

La Costa FloodIn light of the washout of the Nissan Open last weekend, the news that the Accenture World Match Play would be delayed until Thursday came as little surprise to many golf fans. Parts of La Costa golf resort were literally under water thanks to 2 inches of rain in the last day, and little relief is in sight since another inch is expected tonight. Luckily, since this is a diminished field event and each round halves the field, PGA officials are planning on playing two rounds on Friday to make up the lost time. Tournament director Mark Russell said, “It’s totally saturated, but based on this weather forecast, it’s going to get nothing but better. If we get a day of sunshine and breeze, it will get dramatically better.”