The Loop

On the vagaries of match play

February 16, 2010

As told by someone with a sense of humor about it:

"My kids said to me when I left on Sunday, 'when are you going to be back?'" England's Lee Westwood said on Tuesday. "I said, 'historically Thursday. Optimistically Monday.' They looked at me quizzically."

On the eve of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship outside Tucson, Westwood hasn't yet convinced himself the trip from England was worth his while.

"Well, it's debatable, because you can play really well, and then go home Wednesday night," he said.

Therein lies the reason that television isn't necessarily keen on tournaments that employ a match play format. It yearns for Tiger vs. anyone in the final and occasionally it gets Maggert vs. Magee, as it did in the inaugural Match Play Championship in 1999.

-- John Strege