There Was Match Play This Past Weekend?
Hello. Did you hear Geoff Ogilvy won the World Gold Championship Match Play (WGCMP)yesterday? Well, he did.
If you're not interested, I know why. I wasn't either. Maybe it was anti-climatic after all the Winter Olympics action. I just couldn't get into it.
I think I know why. Golf, unlike other sports, is one where people want favourites to win. Everyone wants to see the top players play in the final, like tennis. Unfortunately golf is much more unpredictable.
Unlike stroke play, which rewards the best player over 4 days, match play is much more inconsistent. Players can shoot 75 and win. Or they can shoot 65 and lose.
The players seem to enjoy it. They come from all over the world for this one, even though they may only get one round in, or could play 126 holes (7 rounds) in 5 days, a golf marathon. Thomas Bjorn was the only one of the top 64 to miss the event (due to injury). Conversely, many of them pass up the Mercedes Championships on Maui in January, even though they're guaranteed 4 rounds (no cut) and a paycheck. I've played the Kapalua Plantation course, home to the Mercedes. I cannot figure out why anyone would not want to go there.
One sense I got that the WGCMP is not highly regarded by the media was when Tiger Woods went 14 months without winning a stroke play event. He did win the WGCMP in that stretch, but the media seemed to regard it lightly.
Since it's the only Match Play format on the PGA Tour each year, the casual fan may have a tougher time grasping it.
Here's what I would do to make the WGCMP more interesting - eliminate the 4 brackets. If the #1 ranked player beats #64, and #63 beats #2, then it should be #1 vs #63 the next day. The odds of #63 beating #1 and #2 back-to-back are low, giving more chance to have the higher ranking players advance.
Regards,
Steve
If you're not interested, I know why. I wasn't either. Maybe it was anti-climatic after all the Winter Olympics action. I just couldn't get into it.
I think I know why. Golf, unlike other sports, is one where people want favourites to win. Everyone wants to see the top players play in the final, like tennis. Unfortunately golf is much more unpredictable.
Unlike stroke play, which rewards the best player over 4 days, match play is much more inconsistent. Players can shoot 75 and win. Or they can shoot 65 and lose.
The players seem to enjoy it. They come from all over the world for this one, even though they may only get one round in, or could play 126 holes (7 rounds) in 5 days, a golf marathon. Thomas Bjorn was the only one of the top 64 to miss the event (due to injury). Conversely, many of them pass up the Mercedes Championships on Maui in January, even though they're guaranteed 4 rounds (no cut) and a paycheck. I've played the Kapalua Plantation course, home to the Mercedes. I cannot figure out why anyone would not want to go there.
One sense I got that the WGCMP is not highly regarded by the media was when Tiger Woods went 14 months without winning a stroke play event. He did win the WGCMP in that stretch, but the media seemed to regard it lightly.
Since it's the only Match Play format on the PGA Tour each year, the casual fan may have a tougher time grasping it.
Here's what I would do to make the WGCMP more interesting - eliminate the 4 brackets. If the #1 ranked player beats #64, and #63 beats #2, then it should be #1 vs #63 the next day. The odds of #63 beating #1 and #2 back-to-back are low, giving more chance to have the higher ranking players advance.
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 2:54 PM
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