Tiger, Lefty out of Match Play

The WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship begins tomorrow without Tiger Woods, a three-time winner, who is still on the self-imposed hiatus from tournament golf and according to his last public statement, repairing his marriage. Golf’s other major star Phil Mickelson is not playing in order to take his family on vacation during his children’s school break.

The Match Play is a lot of fun for most players and fans even though there is the risk (terrifying to advertisers and television executives) the favorites will lose in the early rounds leaving them with key matches such as number 22 in the world playing number 56. Presumably this is the reason the PGA Tour does not have more match play events or at least events different than the usual four rounds medal play.

With an $8 million purse ($1.35 million to the winner) there are a lot of reasons to show up in Tucson if you have qualified and challenge 2009 winner Geoff Ogilvy. Forecasting a winner though is very hard since, say #56 can have a hot week and blow away his opponents – its happened before – and then never be heard of again (think of Kevin Sutherland in 2002 and Jeff Maggert in 1999).

This year has not caused a lot of early fan interest either with the top four seeds being Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk and Martin Kaymer. All have proven to be wonderful players but only one major championship among them, Furyk’s win at the U.S. Open in 2003.

Without both Woods (world ranked #1) and Mickelson (#3) there’s no doubt television ratings will suffer not to mention tournament attendance. Tucson is known for its’ enthusiastic golf fans but the Winter Olympics is strong competition for viewers’ attention.

Mickelson said he is not in the field because of the cancer treatments for both his wife and mother which have caused his playing schedule to be pushed to a lower priority. He did say publicly however he would have liked to be at the Match Play Championship but felt he needed to spend time with his wife and children.

There are no signs from the Woods camp of him returning to the Tour and contrary to what some commentators have said, Woods does owe a debt to golf; the game which provided him the stage to become famous and make his hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition if and when he does return he will have to deal with the many fans that feel betrayed by his spectacular fall from grace plus don’t forget the charities, businesses, stockholders and employees hurt economically as a result of his being caught in his deception.

So the bottom line is a new champion will be feted Sunday night and it won’t be either of the Tour’s biggest names.