A Ross Fisher le bastaron 33 hoyos para proclamarse ganador de la Volvo Mundial Match Play. Le sobraron golpes, estilo y sobre todo buen juego. El  inglés sólo firmó un bogey en su tarjeta dejando sin posibilidad de victoria a su rival, nada menos que el jugador revelación norteamericano Anthony Kim.

Ross Fisher alza el trofeo de la Volvo Mundial Match Play

” Siendo de Wentworth me habría hecho ilusión ganar mi primer Volvo Mundial Match Play allí, pero como dije, los tiempos cambian a mejor. Estoy en la luna, absolutamente encantado, ha sido una semana larga y agotadora, pero evidentemente ha merecido la pena. Me podían haber eliminado el viernes pero por suerte Westy (Westwood) y Camilo empataron y yo pasé. Siempre es difícil jugar contra el Campeón del Masters. En el primer hoyo extra con Cabrera pensé que iba a meter el putt, pero ganarle en el hoyo 39 fue de gran ayuda para enfrentarme hoy a Anthony Kim, que es tremendamente competitivo, nunca tira la toalla, probablemente uno de los más valientes. Creo que la mejor parte de mi juego ha sido la fuerza mental” ha comentado el jugador tras alzarse con el preciado trofeo azul.

El golfista supo desplegar desde el primer momento la combinación perfecta de talento, buen juego y estrategia mental necesario para ganar en esta modalidad. El americano no ha podido adelantarlo en ningún momento de la competición y dos fallos cruciales- un bogey en el hoyo 28 y otro definitivo en el 32- en los segundos dieciocho hoyos  junto con el excepcional eagle de Fisher en el 22 sirvieron para determinar su sentencia. Y es que en este partido la lucha de golpes ha sido una constante durante todo el día. En los gestos y las decisiones de los jugadores se notaba la tensión presente en cada golpe. Kim muy fuerte en el juego largo se veía contrarrestado por el excelente repertorio de golpes cortos que ha desplegado hoy el británico sin posibilidad de réplica.

El joven de 28 años culmina así una temporada excepcional, situándose cuarto en la Carrera a Dubai. Fisher es el noveno debutante en alzarse con el título. Se apunta así su tercer título en el Circuito Europeo tras el KLM Open de 2007 y el Abierto de Europa de 2008. Este año ya había realizado cuatro Top Ten, un quinto puesto en el US Open, segundo en el BMW PGA, y el cuarto en el Match Play de WGC- Accenture.

En la final de consolación que decidía el tercer y cuarto puesto Allenby se ha impuesto a Ángel Cabrera en un partido que ha necesitado un hoy extra para decidirse. El jugador argentino comenzó con birdies en los 3, 5 y 6 pero Allenby lo contrarresto con el golpe del torneo, embocando desde 210 metros para hacer hoyo en uno. El enfrentamiento siguió vivo hasta el último hoyo donde Allenby hizo birdie para entrar en el play off donde se deshizo del ganador del Master con un segundo golpe definitivo poniéndose por primera vez delante de su rival y adjudicándose así la tercera plaza.

Mañana la mayoría de los jugadores marchan hacía China donde se disputa el próximo torneo puntuable para la Carrera a Dubai.

Fuentes: María Acacia López- Bachiller.

Un nuevo trofeo para una nueva era. El momumental premio del Volvo Mundial Match Play, de cristal y color “azul Volvo”, es una pieza hecha a mano por Orrefors, proveedores de la Familia Real de Suecia, y obra de la diseñadora Ingegerd Raman. Edulcorada por supuesto con una suculenta ganancia en metálico para el ganador.

Hoy, el presidente de Finca Cortesín Vicente Rubio ha destacado el enorme esfuerzo de las instituciones y los patrocinadores por traer de vuelta un torneo de esta embergadura a Andalucía. “Hemos hecho un gran esfuerzo para poder recibir en las mejores condiciones un evento de talla mundial. Buscamos la excelencia en todos nuestros proyectos y por eso hemos querido tener un acontecimiento como este, no hay mayor prueba de excelencia para todos y esperamos superarla con diez”, ha comentado Rubio.

Mañana en rueda de prensa dos de los favoritos:  Sergio García y Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood y Sergio García

Fuentes: María Acacia López- Bachiller.

Todo está preparado en Finca Cortesín (Casares, Málaga). El campo en perfectas condiciones y con la majestuosidad de la Costa del Sol comienza a recibir a los primeros jugadores que disputarán entre los días 29 de octubre y 1 de noviembre la Volvo Mundial Match Play. Un torneo de formato renovado del que se conocen ya los enfrentamientos de las dos primeras jornadas.

Los primeros enfrentamientos prometen espectáculo y tensión. Sergio García, único español que disputa esta competición se verá las caras con Olivier Wilson, Robert Allenby y Martin Kaymer en el grupo B. Este campeonato se celebra en España por primera vez, trasladándose desde el Wentwoth Club al un magnífico recorrido de Finca Cortesín, diseñado por Cabell B Robinson y con más de 6.800 metros de golf.

Los 16 jugadores que disputan este Match Play se agrupan en base a su clasificación como cabezas de series del Ranking Mundial a día de hoy. Durante el jueves y viernes cada golfista jugará tres recorridos de 18 hoyos contra el resto de componentes de su grupo. Se adjudicarán puntos según las victorias, derrotas o empates cosechados (un sistema de puntuación similar al de la Ryder Cup). En caso de empate contabilizará el número de hoyos ganados. Así el primer clasificado de cada grupo pasará a la semifinal. El sábado bajo la clásica modalidad de Match los jugadores se disputarán 36 hoyos en el que el ganador del grupo A se verá las caras con el B y el del C con el D. Un cuadro que se verá reducido el domingo a un único vencedor y recibirá 750.000 €

GRUPOS

Un espectáculo con un público de lujo, hoy entre el plantel de seguidores se encontraban el capitán  europeo de la Ryder Cup Colin Montgomerie que ya comienza a perfilar su equipo ideal para la revancha de 2010.

Recuerden que desde Bajo Par les tendremos informados fielmente sobre lo que acontezca en Finca Cortesín. Mañana, primera rueda de prensa a las 11.30.

Fuente: María Acacia López- Bachiller (Jefa de Prensa del Circuito Europeo en España).

]]> http://madeira3.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/mais-detalhes-da-8%c2%aa-taca-aguia-branca/ Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:49:46 +0000 PC Gama http://madeira3.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/mais-detalhes-da-8%c2%aa-taca-aguia-branca/

Ingredientes da 5ª Etapa Estadual do ES

Em conversa com o gerente administrativo do Clube Capixaba de Golf, o Carlos Eduardo Pessoa, me foi confirmado que o atual G-5 do golfe capixaba, Eduardo Dessandes (1º), Ademir da Mata (2º), Adilson Martinelli (3º), Neivaldo Bragato (4º) e João Carlos Cutini (5º) estará em campo para mais um confronto.

Dudu Dessandes, Ademir da Mata, Paulo Uliana (Gerente do resort) e Neivaldo Bragato: figuras importantes do golfe capixaba.

Na última Etapa, a 4ª, realizada no Hotel Fazenda Monte Verde Golf & Resort no dia 20 de junho, vitória para o campeão estadual de 2008, Ademir da Mata. Sendo assim,  o atual líder de 2009 promete dedicação para faturar mais uma Etapa.

“A vitória do Ademir me motivou mais ainda para o restante do campeonato. O resultado me fez treinar mais e focar no que posso melhorar em meu jogo. Desta vez entrarei em campo com 200% a mais de determinação”, afirma Dessandes,

Até o momento, Dudu foi vencedor de duas de quatro etapas já realizadas, a 1ª e a 3ª. Adílson Martinelli conquistou a 2ª e Ademir da Mata a 4ª. Será que da Mata conseguirá repetir o feito?

Além disso, existe mais um ingrediente para aumentar a competitividade do torneio. De acordo com o profissional do Hotel Fazenda Monte Verde Golf & Resort, Cláudio Ramos, os 16 melhores classificados serão convocados para o inédito match-play a ser realizado pelo resort.

“Já contribuimos muito para o golfe no Estado. Em média, saem daqui 50 novos golfistas-hóspedes todo final de semana. Com a realização do match-play, queremos que o pólo também seja degolfe competitivo”, afirma Ramos.

Faltam dois dias para a 8ª Taça Águia Branca.

Bom jogo!

Conoscete uno sport in cui è possibile godere degli aromi e del gusto unico di un buon Cohiba nel pieno dell’ “attività motoria” senza intaccare la qualità delle proprie prestazioni?

Io sinceramente no! Oh pardon, mi correggo, non ne conosco nessuno, se si esclude quello che io considero un gioco, forse il più bel gioco che sia mai stato inventato: il golf.

Mi presento: mi chiamo Francesco e ho 32 anni e, oltre ad essere un modesto (ma in ascesa) giocatore di golf, sono un discreto amante di sigari, passione naturalmente trasmessa e, quando possibile, condivisa con i miei cari amici Paolo e Vincenzo che di golf invece, mio malgrado, non ne masticano proprio….

L’esperienza che mi ha spinto a scrivere queste poche righe deriva dal fatto, provato sui green e i fairways di numerosi circoli romani, che una buona fumata, aiuta a trovare la giusta concentrazione.

E questo sia che ci si trovi alla fine di una buca, prima di passare alla successiva, sia di fronte ad un putt impegnativo, in cui mantenere i nervi saldi è assolutamente fondamentale.

Il giudizio positivo sulla bontà di tale abitudine trova credito dal fatto che nel golf, sin dai suoi  albori  sui verdi prati scozzesi di St Andrews, la “spunta” sempre il giocatore più coraggioso, il più concentrato, il più impassibile, insomma il più “mentalmente rilassato”.

E già!!, qui la forza fisica e la potenza muscolare servono a poco se, come spesso ai dilettanti capita, non si mantiene il giusto autocontrollo, determinante  per abbassare lo score in campo ed il proprio handicap di gioco.

Ahimè, ho scoperto tutto questo poche settimane fa in prossimità di una gara match- play ( uno contro uno), quando, preparata la sacca dopo aver scelto con cura le palline il guanto e naturalmente un buon maduro da fumare in tutto relax a fine gara, ho incontrato il mio avversario….

A dire il vero, almeno dall’aspetto, non sembrava essere un osso durissimo: avanti con l’età, un po’ gobbo, non molto potente  ed estremamente silenzioso (ma forse questa è una qualità).

Sin dai primi colpi una cosa era lampante: il mio avversario non riusciva proprio a staccarsi dal proprio Cohiba robusto che, nelle brevi pause di gioco, non esitava a fumare con lo stesso relax di una bella fumata tra amici al termine di una cena gustosa.

La cosa mi ha, non solo colpito, ma quanto mai innervosito, dal momento che mentre i miei colpi terminavano sistematicamente in acqua o lontano dalle bandiere, accompagnate ogni volta da  imprecazioni di vario genere, il nostro taciturno golfista-fumatore giocava il suo miglior golf deliziando la vista con swing armonici e precisi.

Il risultato finale?  Un pesantissimo 10-5 (per lui) che non lascia spazio a recriminazioni ed una lezione di golf importante: chi credeva come me che fumare sigaro in campo potesse togliere la concentrazione dovrà ricredersi! La verità e che un buon habano può essere fumato nelle situazioni più disparate e come dimostrato, almeno nel golf, può aiutare a rilassarsi e a trovare il giusto approccio mentale prima di ogni colpo.

Molti campioni del nostro tempo lo sanno, a supporto del fatto che non solo nelle “garette” di circolo,  il sigaro può dare sempre e comunque sensazioni piacevoli e stimoli positivi.

Come va adesso con il mio golf?

Il mio handicap di gioco è lo stesso (28), continuo ad imprecare ad ogni colpo sbagliato, ma almeno la lezione mi è servita e oggi, anche in campo, quando possibile, non rinuncio a fare qualche puff con il fumo del mio amato maduro, in attesa che oltre ai miei sensi ne benefici anche……..il mio gioco……

A new version of the Volvo World Match Play Championship website has been launched on http://www.volvoworldmatchplay.com.

The 16 best players in the world of golf will come to Spain (Finca Cortesin Golf Course) at the end of October, beginning of November (October 29 – November 1 2009). Follow on a weekly basis the players who are currently qualified and the players who can still qualify. 

This is a sample field of the qualified players as it stands today:

Read the latest press release on the following link; http://www.volvoworldmatchplay.com/pages/news/detail.aspx?id=2038

result: GXGC 6 vs Chesham 0
i won 6 and 5 holed a 15ft beaut to win it on the 13th

A verdadeira decisão será no pós-jogo, no buraco 19

Qual será a verdadeira moqueca, a capixaba ou a baiana? Para tirar essa dúvida, os golfistas dos dois Estados se enfrentam nos dias 13 e 14 de junho, no campo do Iberostate Praia do Forte Golf Clube (BA) para colocar à prova esta questão gastronômica no I Torneio Moqueca ES x BA.

O golfe resolverá um dos enigmas do mundo: a origem da moqueca. Crédito da foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evertonflavio

A competição está aberta  para os atletas inscritos na Federação Baiana de Golfe (FBG) na modalidade match-play. Será uma Ryder Cup entre os golfistas da Bahia e do Espírito Santo, disputada todo ano, com revezamento de campo/Estado a cada edição.

Não sou capixaba, nasci em Volta Redonda (RJ), mas já tive a oportunidade de experimentar as duas e devo confessar, a capixaba é melhor, hehehehe. É, mas o resultado das tacadas é quem ira ditar qual dos Estados possui o prato legítimo, e qual deles prepara uma peixada.

O 1º Desafio da Moqueca de Golfe, disputado no Iberostate (BA). Crédito da foto: www.fbgolfe.com.br

As inscrições do I Torneio Moqueca ES x BA podem ser feitas diretamente com os seguintes representantes da FBG:  Roberto Reis – tunks@uol.com.br, Bruno Tariant – tariant@oi.com.br e Paulo Armani – armani@sanave.com.

Entrevista com Luiz Cingolani

Na ocasião do I Torneio Aberto de Golfe do ES, em novembro de 2008, o presidente da FBG, Luiz Cingolani bateu um papo conosco no nosso buraco 19, e explicou a aproximação da Bahia com o Espírito Santo:

Bom jogo!

Our match played among 20 of our esteemed neighbors is tomorrow afternoon. Its suppose to be fine weather. Game format and rules? -haven’t a clue. Too excited to start playing at all.

I have hit more practice balls this winter than all my previous years -here’s to hoping it paid off.

Wakonda Club opens with its newly resurfaced greens and fairways. Many old growth trees have been felled. I was at the practice tee this evening and it was a line of very happy golfists. Which lead me to think, what fine wives we have who let us enjoy this greatest of activities.

While golf marriages don’t have to be legalized, they really need to be recognized as a double plus good positive thing. When a friend fretted about playing on Friday, then Saturday, then putting in our matchplay event on Sunday morning, I pointed out that our dear club won’t be having such another grand reopening again for a long, long time, and so it would be cruel to have him not participate in what is surely an historic event. Deny that man golf, and he’s sure to start fantasizing about other women and Porsches.

Match-Play e a Ryder Cup

Um dos aspectos interessantes do golfe é a variedade de competições que ele proporciona. Já falamos da Scramble (aqui) e agora seguimos com uma das modalidades que acho mais interessante: a Match-Play, uma espécie de mata-mata do esporte.

Dudu lendo o green do buraco 18. Crédito: Cacá Lima

Esse tipo de jogo acontece normalmente em competições profissionais, ou em um torneio paralelo ao ranking anual de cada clube ou federação. Aqui no Clube Capixaba de Golf, o atual campeão é o Eduardo Dessandes, após vencer  Gustavo Sartório, campeão nas duas edições anteriores.  

O jogo é por buracos. E para vencer, é preciso que um golfista faça menos tacadas que o seu oponente. Em caso de empate, o resultado é 0 (zero), e a disputa segue para o buraco seguinte. Aquele que conquista o buraco soma 1 ponto no score.

A partida acaba quando um dos atletas tem mais pontos ganhos que o numero de buracos que falta jogar para terminar a volta. Entre as disputas da Ryder Cup, figura a Match-Play, o Fourball e o Foursome (serão explicados em breve).

Informações da Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup: o confronte entre os EUA e a Europa

Aliás, a Ryder Cup merece um capítulo a parte neste blog. Para quem quiser maiores informações sobre essa competição entre a Europa e os Estados Unidos, que acontece desde 1927 a cada dois anos, basta clicar aqui (EN).

Bom jogo!

Geoff Ogilvy (Reuters)

By Mark Lamport-Stokes (Reuters Sportswriter)

Geoff Ogilvy felt a little awkward in accepting the notion he might be the best player in the game after winning his third tournament in seven starts at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship last month.

“I don’t know, that’s not really for me to decide,” the Australian world number four told reporters after crushing Britain’s Paul Casey 4&3 in the 36-hole final at Dove Mountain’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

“It’s for you guys (the media) to decide where I sit in the pecking order. But I think I’m a pretty decent player.”

“There are a few guys in the world who are obviously well in front of me,” the 2006 US Open champion added.

“Tiger (Woods), Phil (Mickelson), Sergio (Garcia), (Padraig) Harrington – so there’s four. I’m at least fifth. Sergio hasn’t got a major but he’s won a lot of big tournaments. I’m in that area somewhere.”

A week of superb ball-striking, clutch putting and relentless mental strength capped a golden run that began with his first victory in his homeland at the Australian PGA Championship in December.

He went on to complete a commanding wire-to-wire victory by six shots at the PGA Tour’s season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in January.

Ogilvy attributed his winning form to a six-week break from the game at the end of the 2008 US season.

“‘I probably enjoy golf quite a lot at the moment,” the 31-year-old said. “I had a really good break after St. Louis (the BMW Championship) last year. I tumbled in the FedExCup … so I was pretty grumpy with golf at that point.

“‘I had at least six weeks off. I hardly touched a club. And then ever since I’ve done that, I haven’t over-played and I haven’t over-practiced. I’ve just tried to really enjoy it.”

Ogilvy said his victory at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii was achieved by the best 72 holes he has ever played but he believes he needs to eke out better results at events where his form was inferior.

“I’m not going to say that I haven’t played really well this week but there’s definitely (room for) improvement in my bad weeks,” he added.

“I still think I can be a better player when I’m playing badly. Tiger wins tournaments when he’s playing badly but I don’t get anywhere remotely close to winning when I’m playing badly. So I think I can do a lot of improvement.”

Tim Clark won yesterday.  But you probably did not know this because Tiger Woods lost!

The golfer from Durban, RSA played a terrific round on his way to winning 4 and 2 against His Highness Woods.  Six birdies and no bogeys for Clark putting down Woods in 16 holes.  It was the PGA equivilent of deicide.  Yet, you probably did not know this because Tiger lost!

Certainly Tim Clark had to play the round of his career in order to top Mr. Roboto.  And he did, kicking Tiger’s ass all over the course.  It seemed like role reversal as Clark played more like Tiger and Tiger played more like some “no name” from South Africa.  But you probably did not know this because Tiger lost!!!!

Just stop it!  Look, I know that it is the media’s crush on Tiger that creates headlines and “breaking news” that Woods actually lost rather than the fact that Clark won the match.  Writing for the AP, Doug Ferguson referred to Clark as “pesky.”  Has Tiger ever been referred to as “pesky”?  No, he is just “lurking”; after all he is a “Tiger.”  Give Clark some love!  And yes, it was mentioned that Clark played well and won.  But from the tone of most of the reports, it was clear that Tiger lost more so than Clark won.  Some on ESPN seemed to simply question if Tiger came back to early [from surgery] rather than give Clark credit!

Anyone who has ever watched golf would know that Clark outplayed Woods and won.  On Wednesday, no once claimed that Brendan Jones lost to Woods.  Had Woods beat Clark because the South African had eight bogeys, no one would have stated that Clark lost to Woods.  It is plain and simple — Clark beat Woods.  He played better than Woods.  It had little to do with his surgery recovery.  Keep in mind, everyone was raving over how awesome Tiger was on Wednesday when he exploded out of the gate.  “He is better than ever.”  There was even a headline that claimed a “rusty” Tiger was still dominate.  So where was the dominance yesterday?  It was still evident; Clark just played better.

This is not an anti-Tiger rant.  I recognize that Tiger will end up the greatest golfer of all time and he is certainly the best golfer currently on the PGA Tour.  This is towards the media ignorance of the fact that it was Clark who played better than Tiger; not that Tiger played worse than Clark.  And while some stories did give Clark credit, many did not seem to do so.  Even Tiger himself recognized that Clark played well and won the match.  Here is Tiger’s quote:

That is the nature of match play.  . . . You can play well and go home and you play poorly and advance. I just happened to catch Tim playing really well, and I didn’t make enough birdies to answer him. (Ferguson via Yahoo! Sports)

It is the media that has spun it.  That is who I am upset with; not Tiger Woods.

What is amusing is that people on Around the Horn and like shows claimed that the Match Play format favored Woods’ return because he could play fewer holes per day than a normal tournament, assuming he put away his opponent.  And it was all but assumed that Tiger would at least make the weekend.  But they also seemed to forget that Match Play also lends itself towards upsets.  One great round by your opponent could spell the end for you.  And that was the case here.  When it is one round versus one round, Clark’s chances of winning were great.  Had this been a four-day tournament, maybe Clark puts up one or even two strong rounds, but it is highly unlikely that he outplays a golfer like Woods, Harrington, Mickelson, or even Anthony Kim.  It was not a normal tournament but one that actually benefited Clark and he took full advantage of his moment in the spotlight.

We all know what is going to happen.  Clark beating Tiger is only going to make Woods more determined; more focused; more dominant than before.  That is Woods’ nature when it comes to the game of golf.  By the time that the Masters rolls around, I doubt that Tiger will be hitting cart paths.  By the time He is at Augusta, he will be hitting greens and players like Clark will be a specter.  And in the end, he will likely be putting on another ugly green jacket after dominating the course.  But just for one day, Tim Clark dominated Tiger Woods.  Get it right.

Damn, homie.....and get off that knee!!

The world of golf was turned on it’s ear earlier today when Tiger Woods lost his second round match to Tim Clark in the Accenture Match Play Championship  in Marana, Az.  Woods, 8 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery, ran into problems from the beginning of the match and was not able to duplicate his performance from just a day ago.  All throughout Tiger’s layoff, the sport of golf suffered tremendously, as its biggest draw was sidelined and interest waned considerably.  No one watched while he was away, and with his early exit from this tournament, chances are that the ratings for the rest of the way are gonna suck like a Dyson.  This guy is an entity in and of himself….he is golf, for better or worse.  He is the only reason that most folks even bother with the sport to begin with and after the letdown of his early exit, it’s gonna be tough to get folks to even pay attention.  He’s back, but he’s not back….kinda frustrating.

Cheer up, dude, there’s always the Masters……

Tiger likes to cut the cheese between holes.....

If there’s one thing I learned from Lethal Weapon 2, it’s don’t trust South Africans. Stupid Tim Clark and his stupid great golf playing means the great (read: rusty) Tiger Woods won’t get to see round three of the Accenture Match Play Tournament. This also means that millions upon trillions of people won’t get to watch him play this weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of what happens using pictures from the tournament:

Tiger says, “WTF, man? I hate South Africans more than Mel Gibson hates Jews and South Africans!”

Meanwhile Tim Clark and his flamboyant self says with a lisp, “Tiger, the green’s this way thsilly pantths. Let’s win this one for Zimbabwe boyths!”

And the golf course just says this: “Fuck you Tiger!” You know when the cacti are flipping you off you’re having a bad day…

And there you have it, the rundown of the second round of the Accenture Match Play Tournament. Was it good for you?

Foes on Thursday: Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson

Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson, with a combined three Masters wins, will battle each other Thursday.

They posted first-round wins Wednesday in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Ariz.

Cedar Rapids native Johnson eliminated Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, 3 and 1, ending the match with a birdie on the 17th hole. Johnson had seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.

Two-time Masters winner Mickelson put on a performance that was similar to his effort in winning the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open Sunday. He blew a nice lead (three holes), but pulled out the win.

Angel Cabrera rallied to push Mickelson into extra holes, but Lefty birdied the first extra hole and 2007 U.S. Open winner Cabrera managed only a par.

Johnson improved his career record in this event to 6-3. Mickelson is 14-9. Johnson finished third in 2006. Mickelson’s best finish is a tie for fifth in 2004.

Mickelson is the No. 5 seed in the 64-player event. Johnson, who won the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in January, is the No. 28 seed.

The tee time for Thursday’s matches hadn’t been set as of mid-afternoon Wednesday. The Golf Channel’s telecast of Thursday’s play runs from 1 to 5 p.m., Iowa time, with a replay from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

I was talking with my friend Andy the other day on who our favorite golfers are. I stupidly said that J.B. Holmes is my favorite, Webb Simpson is my second, and Tiger is my third. The next day I said that saying Webb Simpson was my second favorite was stupid, and moved Tiger into the second spot. But why the hell do I like J.B. Holmes the most!?

J.B. has won only two tournaments, both being the FBR Open. He was on the Ryder Cup team that won last year, which was very entertaining. He misses cuts every few tournaments and only makes a mil or two a year in earnings. The guy is good, but shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as Tiger.

Tiger has won slightly more.

I guess I’m a freaking idiot because I like rooting for the underdog. Saying Tiger is your favorite player is so lame, because he’s everybody’s favorite player. In saying that, I can’t help but say that Tiger is by far the most entertaining player to watch. I’ve read at least 10 articles about him in the past two days that all basically say the same thing. He’s so freaking interesting.

The Accenture Match Play Tournament has just started, and I’m listening to it live at work. Who does that!? Tiger’s already one up after the first hole on his latest victim, and just got an eagle on two, so he is three up through two holes. It’s over!

I guess the point of this post is to say that Tiger is far and away the most exciting player in golf. In saying that, I still hate following the beaten path and will not place him as my favorite golfer. I’ll keep J.B. Holmes up there, just because. Plus, J.B. pulls hotter chicks…

Sunday at the 2007 Masters, '06 winner Phil Mickelson and '07 champ Zach Johnson (AP photo)

Oh, wouldn’t golf fans in Cedar Rapids and across Iowa have some spice in their Thursday afternoon if things work out today (Wednesday).

If Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson win their opening-round matches in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, they’ll meet Thursday in the Round of 32.

The world — at least the fraction of the world that cares — would love a Mickelson-Tiger Woods semifinal on Saturday. Iowa would prefer its best golf product, Mr. Johnson, dispose of Lefty tomorrow.

The snag is that Johnson has to defeat Graeme McDowell today, and Mickelson has to do likewise against 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.

Both were doing their best as of 11 a.m., Iowa time. Mickelson was 2-up on Cabrera through five holes. Johnson was 1-up on McDowell through four, having birdied three of those holes.

McDowell matched Johnson’s birdies on the first two, but couldn’t counter on No. 4.

Lots of holes left. To watch updates for the entire bracket, including Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf, go to http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r470/index.html

I’ll update the Hlog this afternoon after Johnson’s round is over.

TW is poised to return to the PGA Tour later today, and you can follow all of his progress from the WGC Accenture Match Play on a slick new site whipped up by PGATour.com. Turns out people don’t give a crap about professional golf unless the G.O.A.T. is playing, so the PGA set up a slick little microsite where you can follow every Tiger detail throughout his comeback.

Click here to follow Tiger.

You’ll be able to watch each hole individually, view his updated scorecard, read commentary from an on-course blogger and find out what he ate for breakfast (we made that last one up).

Eldrick is scheduled to tee off at 2pm EST.

Golfers love their bad jokes.  Putts left short inevitably bring about the “putter in the purse strings” barb, and duffers rush to be the first to say “one” after the ball falls off somebody’s tee.  A good break may even call for a classic: ”The sun even shines on a dog’s ass somedays”.  Well arf arf  Brendan Jones.

Brendan won the insta-fame lottery when Tiger Woods decided to make his return to golf at this years Accenture World Match Play event.  Now, I shouldn’t call Brendan names; in fact, he’s racked up 8 victories on the Japanese Tour.  But, being the dead last player to qualify (64th), means he’s earned the right to have Tigers Nike swooshes rammed where the sun happened to be shining on this particular day.

Brendan is from a town so obscure in Australia there’s still people who think they’re criminals in exile.  But this week, his Mom is doing phone-in-interviews, and Brendan is the man of the moment.  And like he should, he’s making it count.  He’s had some wonderful quotes since embracing his 15 minutes.  After stopping for pictures for a number of different media outlets, Brendan headed to the podium to give a little press conference.

When asked if he’s had any tips from two Australians who have eliminated Woods from this event in the past (Peter O’Malley and Nick O’Hern), Jones replied “No, I haven’t, but I’ve gotten some advice from Stephen Ames.”  Last year Ames apparently had the lobotomy required to challenge Tigers driving accuracy in the media before their match, before promptly losing 9 and 8.  For the record, if I, my mother, or my Aunts Shih-tsu were to play Tiger, the very worst he could beat us is 10 and 8.  Self deprecating humour from athletes gets me every time.

After making the mandatory Tonya Harding-esque jokes about thwacking Tigers knee if he starts losing and humbly accepting defeat beforehand, he mentioned that, of course, he doesn’t plan on rolling over on the first tee. 

Which leaves me thinking.  What an opportunity.  What a win-win.  If he loses, it was expected, plus he had front row seats to the comeback of the greatest player of my generation, most likely the greatest of any generation.  With that safety net, he has the opportunity to beat Tiger Woods in a nationally televised match, which is about as likely as beating an actual tiger in a nationally televised cage match.  But it’s an opportunity nonetheless.  And you never know.  Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.

PS.  I wanted to name this bit “Spumoni” in reference the Will Ferrel’s safe word from Semi-Pro when he fights the live bear, but I thought the reference was too obscure.  Regardless, I think Jones should work out a safe-word in case Tiger comes out playing like his old self.  I suggest “Gillooly”.

It begins with a T and normally ends with him winning.

Tiger Woods is ending his nearly eight-month long absence from the PGA Tour, announcing that he will defend his title in the $8.5 million WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship next week at Dove Mountain in Marana.

Woods, who has not played since his playoff win in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, made the announcement on his web site.

“I’m now ready to go play again,” Woods said.

Welcome back Tiger, Golf has missed you.

In other news, I will be enjoying my first round of golf for quite some time this coming Sunday. I’ll be enjoying 9-holes at my local course, and depending on how I play, I may let you know how I get on!