For months, PGA Tour officials have been breathlessly selling the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship with words that might better fit an action movie trailer.
Thrilling. Exciting. Nerve-racking. Pressure-packed.
Ads throughout Tucson bill the event as a mano-a-mano showdown among the world's top golfers.
And defending champion Geoff Ogilvy has mused that the format "really is the proper way to play golf, isn't it?"
But what exactly is match play?
The one-on-one format is ancient in origin and simple to understand — once you know the terms and rules.
What is match play?
Match play is a format that pits two golfers in a head-to-head challenge, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated. Matches end after 18 holes or when one golfer leads by more than the number of holes remaining. The scoring system differs from stroke play, where golfers accumulate shots over the course of a round. In match play, each hole is a separate competition.
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How is the score kept?
Each won hole is a point. Tied holes are "halved" and do not count toward the final score. During a match, scores are expressed by how many holes the leader is ahead of his opponent. So if Tiger Woods is leading Phil Mickelson six holes to five through 11 holes, Tiger is not ahead 6-5. Tiger is 1-up through 11. Tied matches are said to be "all square" and do not figure in the current score. In matches where all 18 holes are played, the winning score is expressed by the number of holes the winner was ahead at the end of the round, such as 2-up.
But what about the 5 and 4 stuff?
This is where it can get tricky. Because matches end once the duel is clinched, the full 18 holes often are not played. If that is the case, the final score is expressed in two numbers: the margin of victory and the number of remaining holes. For example: If Ogilvy defeated Davis Love III 7 and 6, he was leading by seven holes with six to play. If Woods defeated Mickelson 5 and 4, he was up by five holes with four remaining. The biggest blowout in match-play golf is 10 and 8, which means the winner took the first 10 holes before the match was called with eight holes left.
How is the tournament played?
Think NCAA basketball tournament. The world's top 64 players are matched into four brackets, with the top four receiving No. 1 seeds. The winners advance in their respective brackets, one match per day for the first three rounds. The quarterfinals and semifinals are both played on Saturday. The final is Sunday.
So if it is just like the NCAA tournament, are there tons of upsets?
Yes. Ogilvy was a Cinderella No. 13 seed when he rallied to win the 2006 tournament in La Costa, Calif. The player he defeated in the final, Love, was a No. 6 seed. Previous winners include Kevin Sutherland, who was the world's No. 62 player and a No. 16 seed when he took the event in 2002.
How does strategy differ in match play?
Players can be more aggressive, because mistakes will not penalize them on future holes. So do not be surprised if your favorite golfer aims for the pin instead of the green, or throws caution to the wind and tries to out-drive a water hazard. While a mistake might cost him on that particular hole, it will not ruin his round.
So why do we have match play? Is this another made-for-TV golf event?
Not at all. Match play has been determining the winners of golf matches since the early days of the sport. Match play is no stranger to Tucson, either — the city hosted The Seiko Match Play Championships at Randolph Golf Course from 1984 to 1986.
So what is the official title?
Take a deep breath and say it all at once: The World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
