Match Play Championship practice round to feature 64 top golfers of the world
64 best golfers of the world will compete in the practice round of the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championship on Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Dove Mountain, Arizona.
Accenture Match Play Championship is scheduled to be held from 23 – 27 February, 2011 with a prize money of $8.5 million. The event is the first of the five World Golf Championships that are considered as the flagship events on the Professional Golfers Association
Tour.
Every year, the players compete in an elimination practice session to test their resilience against the pressure and prowess of the course. Despite that, the contenders say that a two-day practice session is not enough for the great match-play format.
The 2009 US Open winner Stewart Cink commented on the practice session, “There is more of finality on each shot. Every shot feels like a must-make. I have been very successful. I wish I could find the same level of intensity when I play stroke play.”
On the other hand, the conqueror of St Andrews, Louis Oosthuizen marvelled the change in the format of the event. He said, “Match Play is always fun. I'm just looking forward to the week.”
Apart from the players’ problems, the ticket sales for the practice session have shown a lot of improvement. Match Play Executive Director Wade Dunagan told the press that the ticket sales recorded so far had crossed the 2010 mark.
Dunagan said that a lot of preparation was put into making the event a success, which is why the top punters of the world such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are part of the Championship.
In the practice round, 64 players compete against each other in a team format. The player who produces the worst score is eliminated at the end of the session.
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