WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Kicks Off
February in Chicago is far from glamorous, even in a mild winter such as this one. Some people love the cold and the snow, but in my world, if you can’t take the garbage out in your skibs we’re talking about unacceptable weather. Add in the fact that I can’t play golf, and I’m generally not a happy camper from late-October to mid-March.
But, what can I say, bitter is a shade I wear well (or at least often) apparently, and until that insufferable wench, Mother Nature, gives me some sunshine and makes the mercury hang in the 70′s, I can live vicariously through weeks such as these. The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship gets underway this morning, with 64 golfers taking to Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, for a one-on-one single elimination tournament.
It’s like a lazy man’s March Madness complete with less running and more scotch (cigars too.) Personally, I love them both, but golf enthusiasts relate to match-play much easier than a basketball fan relates to the NCAA Tournament.
From 30-capper to scratch-golfer, almost everyone has hovered over that 15-footer on No. 17 to beat a buddy 2&1. At the local muni, there is pride and most likely beer on the line, while this week in Marana, there’s a bit more riding financially. However, don’t try to convince the hacker that his 15-footer is any less important.
Chances are if you’re a basketball fan you haven’t stepped up to the stripe looking to hit the front-end of a one-and-one that could extend the lead to two possessions and clinch a Sweet 16 bid, and if you have, you probably haven’t done it recently. You definitely didn’t do it drunk(unless you’re Ron Artest.)
Golf, specifically watching golf, isn’t for everybody, and that’s okay. However, for cold and lonely fellows like myself, the match-play format is as entertaining as golf gets outside of a major championship, and it’s a welcome reminder that warmer, cheerier weather is on the way. I’m not trying to say it rivals the Madness of March, because it most certainly doesn’t, but if you’re even a casual golf fan, I think this is the week for you.
TV coverage of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship begins on the Golf Channel today at noon.
