The WGC Match Play has become one of the most eagerly anticipated tournaments of the golfing year, a refreshing break from the regular diet of 72-hole strokeplay that brings together the world's top players in head-to-head combat.
Furthermore, the first day of competition is akin to FA Cup third-round Saturday given its scope for upsets and intriguing results.
If there is one criticism of the event, which is being played at the gloriously scenic Dove Mountain resort in Arizona, it is that, on occasion, it can fall a little flat after the excitement of the opening rounds.
That is particularly the case if the 36-hole final is a one-sided affair - and only twice in the 12 runnings of this tournament has the championship match gone the full distance.
This year, the format has been tweaked so the final is only 18 holes. That means a tighter contest is more likely. The move follows last year's all-English final, in which Ian Poulter beat Paul Casey 4&2.
No Americans made the last four either - and that, together with some cold weather, led to poor attendances, a nightmare scenario for the all-important television executives.
This is a risk of matchplay tournaments. But the answer is to stage more rather than fewer head-to-head events. If all of the WGCs used this format, matchplay specialists would emerge and rivalries could develop through a season-long narrative.
There is no slow burn in matchplay. Players cannot ease their way into the week as they tend to do with a card in their back pocket. On the opening day, there are 32 matches, resulting in a relentless flow of sporting drama.
Nine of the 64 starters this week are from the United Kingdom. The field is headed by Englishman and world number one Lee Westwood, who faces Swede Henrik Stenson in the first round. On their day, any player is capable of beating another. And there are few genuine favourites in any of the opening contests.
Casey is one player who can claim to be something of a specialist in this field having reached the last two Accenture finals. The 33-year-old from England faces Australian left-hander Richard Green in the first round.
Sending out Poulter in the first match at 0725 is poor treatment of a charismatic defending champion. His match against American Stewart Cink deserves a far greater audience than the handful of spectators who will be out in the early morning chill.
Poulter is clearly miffed at the thought of having to set his alarm at 0430 but is diplomatic enough not to suggest publicly whether the likes of Tiger Woods would be treated in the same way were he the defending champion.
As for Woods, a three-time champion in this tournament, he continues to tell us that his remodelled swing continues to make progress. He has been saying this for a while but has yet to contend for a title in a full-field tournament.
Ironically, this is the format in which the American can prosper because one bad hole is not as destructive as it can be in strokeplay. And the world number three is still the main man judging by the raucous welcome he got as he stepped on to the practice range.
This time last year, Woods was on the other side of America, hijacking this tournament with his crassly timed re-entry into public life followed his well-documented marital problems. Fined for spitting in his last tournament in Dubai, Woods showed that he still has a way to go to live up to his stated aim of being "more respectful to the game of golf".
Nevertheless, he remains the player most fans want to see and it was refreshing to witness him signing autographs on his way to the range. If he had stayed to sign them all, he would still be there now.
If Woods can beat resurgent Dane Thomas Bjorn in the first round, there is the juicy prospect of him taking on Padraig Harrington in round two. Harrington has a tough opening assignment in Geoff Ogilvy, though.
That is just a snapshot of what is possibly to come. Such ifs, buts and maybes encapsulate the beauty of the WGC Match Play.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/iaincarter/2011/02/stand_by_for_matchplay_magic.html
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