[Ian Hudson]

Rory McIlroy has won 2 major championships but has never won a World Golf Championship event but that could change at this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship.

This 64 player event is played in a knockout format and all matches up to the final are contested over just one round.

Sadly, the event has been devalued because three of the top five players in the world rankings are not competing at Dove Mountain Golf Club in Arizona. Tiger Woods is the world number one and Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are current major champions. The organisers and sponsors will be disappointed all three are swerving the event.

This type of golf can be unpredictable and the 18 hole contests add to the imponderables this week. However, the last four winners have been priced at 50/1 or lower. Geoff Ogilvy in 2009 was the latest winner at 100/1 or greater and he was a former champion.

The event is structured around four brackets and the draw is determined by world rankings. There is a predefined draw so players can anticipate potential opponents.

Reserve places are also decided by world rankings and the number one seed plays the number 64 seed in the first round and so on. McIlroy lost in the final to Hunter Mahan in 2012 and that player was beaten by Matt Kuchar in the deciding match 12 months ago. That means Mahan has the best recent event form of the entire field and on a decent run of form will have backers this week.

Ian Poulter is another player to consider based on his penchant for match play golf. His efforts in the Ryder Cup are legendary and he is a former champion. However, McIlroy is slightly preferred but stakes should be modest due to the nature of the format.

By Ian Hudson
Sports Betting and Gaming Consultant
http://www.ianhudsonsport.co.uk
http://www.ianhudsongaming.co.uk

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