Gary Woodland to play against Schwartzel in the opening round of Accenture Match Play - Golf News
The pairings for the first episode of the World Golf Championships in 2012 have been finalised.
Gary Woodland is scheduled to play against Masters Champion, Charl Schwartzel, in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championships, at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain, Arizona.
The WGC's player bracket includes a total of three major champions, displaying their skills, including world’s number two and the US Open winner, Rory McIlroy, and the PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley.
The major problem that Woodland is expecting being out of form. He has no doubt made the cut in all the four tournaments that he has played in his 2012 campaign.
However, he has yet to register a better finish than the 24th that he earned in the PGA season opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions early in January.
Recently, he participated in the Northern Trust Open and finished tied for the 69th.
His final round of 6-over 77 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles saw him completely out of his form and struggling to make easy putts.
“When Gary Woodland feels trust for an entire round with what he is doing with Butch Harmon, look out,” The Golf Channel’s Gary Williams said. “I don’t think they’re quite there yet”.
The only advantage that Woodland had on Schwartzel was his long driving technique. He is always known for his long shots and getting longer distances while teeing off.
However, he is currently in the process of changing his swing technique, which can help him achieve reasonable distances against the major winner.
Even if Woodland secures a win in his opening match, he will have to face other big names in the world of golf in the following rounds of the tournament.
Keegan Bradley is coming from a stellar finish at the Northern Trust Open, with a second place finish tied with Phil Mickelson.
Therefore, Woodland has a tough event ahead of him, where he will have to give his best in order to outclass the top-notch golfers from different parts of the world.
The Accenture Match Play Championships will showcase a total of 64 players competing against each other for the $8.5 million purse.
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