Ernie Els to play number one seed Luke Donald in the Accenture Match Play Championship – Golf News
Ernie Els, the last one to join the 64-man field in the Accenture Match Play Championship, will have to face world number one, Luke Donald, in the opening round at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Arizona, on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.
The South African veteran golfer received a place in the event after Phil Mickelson of the United States announced his withdrawal from the tournament in order to spend some time with his family.
“It is interesting that I find myself in this position. In the past, it hasn't been quite my favourite event and I have skipped it a couple of times,” he said.
If his record in the European Tour's World Match Play Championship is analysed, he is best at playing such kind of formats, as he won seven events in his career.
However, his stats in the similar event on the PGA Tour are not worth mentioning.
According to Els, his poor record in the Match Play event will make him a weak contender, as his best finish came 11 years ago when he reached the semi finals in Australia.
Moreover, pairing him against a player who had a fabulous 2011 season will add problems to his struggle to beat his previous best.
He said that he was paired with Donald because he was the last one to join the event, which automatically put him against the defending champion.
Therefore, it will be a tough match just like all the other matches that are played in the event.
“My record is not that great here but I really enjoy the golf course we play now (at Dove Mountain),” he said.
“It is really well designed for match play. The greens are a little bit quirky and there are a couple of risk/reward holes out there and shots that you have to take on. For match play, that keeps things interesting, especially on the greens,” he added.
Despite his bad performances in the past, Els is optimistic about his appearance in the tournament and he believes that he can definitely make some good birdie putts on Wednesday to outclass his opponent.
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