2013 Accenture Match Play Bracket Challenge and Discussion Thread

[Bullitt5339]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Most of them have their money on Rose or Oosthuizen ... so let's all root against those guys today!

Your jinx worked, it seems....

[WWBDD]

Does Kelly Tilgman write that crap herself, or did she hire a crack addicted monkey?

[Old1964]

Some amazing golf today...some not so amazing.

Does anyone know where the actual scores were posted from today's match play?

On a side note -- Stricker turns 46 tomorrow and all the talk about how old he is makes me laugh.

On a really side note -- Bubba and Furyk playing mediocre golf for 22 holes...well, it was agonizing.  Someone posted about Bubba's need to get some help putting - today reflected the truth of that statement. Missed four short putts? O my.

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings ... Third-round tee times are up ... Start times shown are U.S. Mountain time [URL=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page;=golf-m/scores/leaderboard.aspx?sportcode=BE,id=2175]WGC-Accenture Scores (Sports Network)[/URL] [url=http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/accenture-match-play-championship/tee-times.html]World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship Tee Times[/url] The two Group 1-2 sets of matches go off from the first tee, while the two Group 3-4 sets of matches go off from the 10th tee. Round-4 will begin somewhere between 11:40 am and 12:40 pm local time, all groups going off the first tee. Among my favs I desire to advance -- McDowell, Stricker, Mahan, Watson, Simpson and Poulter Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport

[Gaber]

Originally Posted by David in FL

I bet I could do pretty well over all with a mulligan after each round!

hahahah no kidding (crying because we dont get this option) lol

[mvmac]

Knew I should have picked Shane Lowry lol

[Old1964]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Knew I should have picked Shane Lowry lol

Good one.

I'll bet you even Shane Lowry is surprised by how it is going thus far.

[Dave2512]

Most fascinating to me is how crazy match play is. There was extreme overanalyzing of why the Ryder Cup went the way it did. Now without the emotional allegiance to a homeland we get to see the top pros from everywhere get bounced or not and it's wild how random it is. Without the team structure you can see how fragile it can be. Either you have it that day or you don't and that says nothing about whether or not you have more than the guy next to you.

Pardon me for what seems obvious but I've been away from golf for some time. When I quit in 1998ish the mainstream interest was nothing like it is now. These tournaments are higher profile and it's exciting. Today was one of the most exciting Friday's of golf I've watched outside of a major.

[Chilli Dipper]

The first few seasons of the WGC Match Play produced some dud finals. The inaugural event in 1999 saw a Jeff Maggert-Andrew Magee final that went on for 38 agonizing holes; the 2001 event was held in Australia immediately after the New Year's holiday, and 15 of the world's top 25 golfers couldn't be bothered to show up; and in 2002, a 16-seed (Kevin Sutherland) won the whole thing. In the last decade, only one finalist has been ranked outside the top 25 in the World Golf Ranking: Geoff Ogilvy in 2006. (Oh yeah, he won the US Open a few months later.)

It seems like the 2013 Match Play Championship will prove to be a stinker of millennial proportions. I'm sure that the PGA Tour and NBC are hoping for Bubba Watson to advance to the final, as he's the only needle-pushing name still standing. If the final four turns out to be Lowry, Jacobson, Fernandez-Castano, and Piercy, the network might want to consider packing in the cameras Saturday night and find a figure skating exhibition to air on Sunday.

[Gaber]

Pardon me for what seems obvious but I've been away from golf for some time. When I quit in 1998ish the mainstream interest was nothing like it is now. These tournaments are higher profile and it's exciting. Today was one of the most exciting Friday's of golf I've watched outside of a major.

You are correct (my perspective at least) Late 90s you weren't accustomed to seeing golfers bombing the ball 300+ yards - the Game has changed - players being more physically fit, equipment Technology being better... More sponsors have taken on Golf as more and more of the masses are starting to watch it... (I was at the Canadian Open last year and there were spectators who were wearing loud mouth pants... Showing their support for John Daly and the hottest girls in the Oakville Area following Camilo Villegas) Believe me before I played Golf I didn't understand the game as much as I do know - and how hard it is to get to any level especially Pro level - I think Tiger influenced me as he was an Athlete who could of easily played any sport but chose this great sport -- I'm 29 and started playing at 18 so that's fairly close to the time when I started to play --- Europe has produced some exceptional players as well in the last 10 years (Europe has had a great pool of talent from any era... I'm just saying right, at this time...now...lol) I think Golf has given a great deal of kids of this generation a serious look at what needs to be done to be the best and not just picking those usual sports Baseball, Football! Now if Golf could be more affordable that would be great! Sorry for long winded message!

[Dave2512]

How is the lack of big names any different than the past few weeks? There are only two stories. Either they win or they got smoked. The headlines are the same. Dissect Rory and Tiger and wait for someone like Henley or insert__ to win. Well not this week for RH but it's likely someone new gets there. For the better if you ask me. I don't see a lack of quality golf being played. If golf, professional golf, suffers from anything. It's that the season has become NBA like. You can lose a lot and still finish strong because the finish line is 10 months away if you get streaky. The so called best can milk the schedule. If they don't nail it, kinda looks bad and leaves people hanging.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

How is the lack of big names any different than the past few weeks? There are only two stories. Either they win or they got smoked. The headlines are the same. Dissect Rory and Tiger and wait for someone like Henley or insert__ to win. Well not this week for RH but it's likely someone new gets there. For the better if you ask me. I don't see a lack of quality golf being played. If golf, professional golf, suffers from anything. It's that the season has become NBA like. You can lose a lot and still finish strong because the finish line is 10 months away if you get streaky. The so called best can milk the schedule. If they don't nail it, kinda looks bad and leaves people hanging.

The difference is that that whole point of the World Tour events is to bring out the world's best players, and that gets everyone excited about seeing some marquis matchups. Instead of a marquis they get bottom scrapings, and the viewers don't watch, the sponsors are pissed, and the tournament is a flop for all but a small number of ultra fans.  In a normal four round competition, scattering a bogey or 3 in a round can be overcome, because you have 72 holes to work with, whereas in a single elimination match, that sort of a round is usually going to end your participation.  Match play is a crap shoot and it's obviously not working as the broadcasters would prefer it.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

The difference is that that whole point of the World Tour events is to bring out the world's best players, and that gets everyone excited about seeing some marquis matchups. Instead of a marquis they get bottom scrapings, and the viewers don't watch, the sponsors are pissed, and the tournament is a flop for all but a small number of ultra fans.  In a normal four round competition, scattering a bogey or 3 in a round can be overcome, because you have 72 holes to work with, whereas in a single elimination match, that sort of a round is usually going to end your participation.  Match play is a crap shoot and it's obviously not working as the broadcasters would prefer it.

I disagree because I don't think professional golf needs any more French nobility.

[Chilli Dipper]

Again, the problem isn't that match play is a bad format. If you're a golf fan, you're loving how unpredictable this tournament has been so far. But that chaos isn't necessarily a an asset when it comes to attracting casual viewers on television. At Riviera last week, John Merrick won the tournament, but the big names were still in contention. This Sunday, though, there will only be four players on the course. If the average Joe is surfing channels, he'll see the Daytona 500 on Fox, the Lakers on ABC, and a couple of Big Ten games with tourney implications on CBS and ESPN. Will he give a Scott Piercy-Nicolas Colsaerts final any notice?

[Jspangler]

Again, the problem isn't that match play is a bad format. If you're a golf fan, you're loving how unpredictable this tournament has been so far. But that chaos isn't necessarily a an asset when it comes to attracting casual viewers on television. At Riviera last week, John Merrick won the tournament, but the big names were still in contention. This Sunday, though, there will only be four players on the course. If the average Joe is surfing channels, he'll see the Daytona 500 on Fox, the Lakers on ABC, and a couple of Big Ten games with tourney implications on CBS and ESPN. Will he give a Scott Piercy-Nicolas Colsaerts final any notice?

As a golf fan I love this tournament, but heck ill watch the LPGA if its on. I will be tuning in no matter who is in the finals. But as for average Joe channel surfing you can't please him, nor should you even try. The fact is unless Rory and Tiger are in the finals no casual fan cares. You could have had Luke and Louis in the finals, #3 and 4 in the world and you still won't get good ratings.

[Rick Martin]

I've been watching for hours on hours and enjoy the views of the golf course and a few of the matches (Watson vs Furyk was one of them).....but this event doesn't quite do it for me. Somehow being the top seed should have its benefits - but it looks like there is so much parity in the PGA Tour that the quality of golf between a top ten player and a top 60-64 player isn't very much different.  I don't see any rivalries either -

Although I watch the Euro tour and kind of know the players, I don't want to see those no-name Euro guys in this event. I'd like to see Tiger, McElroy, Lefty, Watson, Donald and a few big names fighting it out. Maybe limit the field to top 16.

[Jspangler]

I've been watching for hours on hours and enjoy the views of the golf course and a few of the matches (Watson vs Furyk was one of them).....but this event doesn't quite do it for me. Somehow being the top seed should have its benefits - but it looks like there is so much parity in the PGA Tour that the quality of golf between a top ten player and a top 60-64 player isn't very much different.  I don't see any rivalries either - Although I watch the Euro tour and kind of know the players, I don't want to see those no-name Euro guys in this event. I'd like to see Tiger, McElroy, Lefty, Watson, Donald and a few big names fighting it out. Maybe limit the field to top 16.

So limit it to your favorite players? That doesn't seem right its a World Golf Championship not a PGA tour championship. Do you honestly think Steve Stricker(16th WGR) is playing better than Colsertes or Olesen?

[Dave2512]

Some serious beat downs today.