Early Season Front Runners/Matchplay Preview

The start of the 2013 golfing season has presented viewers with some riveting tournaments, world-class winners and twists and turns that none could have predicted six weeks ago. Both the PGA and European Tour have seen a plethora of drama and some hugely exciting finishes, but, come the end of the season, majors and World Golf Championships will be the events that linger most prominently in the memory. The first seven weeks of the year have flown by, and now the period of the golfing season that includes two WGCs and the Masters is upon us. But what have we gleaned from the first part of the year, and will that give us any clues as to who might excel in the coming weeks?

This week, the WGC-Accenture Matchplay gets underway at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Tuscon, Arizona. The course - which measures in excess of 7,800 yards - is a big-hitters paradise, but Luke Donald and Ian Poulter have triumphed in the past couple of years. As with any golf tournament, putting, accuracy and a proficient short game will always be more important than the ability to hit the ball 400 yards from the tee.

So, who can we expect to do well in the desert, and what has the early-season taught us about what might transpire in the coming months?

The Americans

As predicted, Americans have enjoyed a fruitful start to 2013. Indeed, players from the United States have prevailed in every tournament on the PGA Tour season. Among them, Brandt Snedeker has undoubtedly been the most impressive.

In the five tournaments he has played this season, he hasn’t finished outside the top 23. He started with a third place at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions before embarking on a truly sensational run. Starting at the Farmers Insurance Open, he recorded back-to-back second place finishes before notching his first victory of 2013 at Pebble Beach. In just five PGA Tour events, he has amassed $2,859,520 – more than $1,600,000 above Phil Mickleson, who is second in the money list. To contextualise that figure, only 25 players earned more money over the course of the entire 2012 season.

The great thing about Snedeker is that his form shows no sign of tailing off. In fact, 31 of his last 34 rounds of golf have been under par. He possesses an extremely repeatable and compact golf swing and is arguably the best putter in the word. There are no discernible weaknesses in his game and, as such, I see him as a viable contender for the matchplay and one of the favourites for the Masters. His unparalleled form with the flat stick will quickly wear players down in the matchplay format, as will remarkable consistency from tee to green. He currently leads the tour in scoring average and birdie average, lies second in scrambling and ranks third in the all-around ranking. The scary thing for his peers is that he’s only 19^th in Strokes Gained: putting.

Someone I also fancy to do well at the matchplay is Dustin Johnson. The big-hitting American won at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions and looks to have a vastly improved short game. Putting is still a relative weakness, but if he can bring his form with the short stick in line with other areas of his game, he’ll be almost unstoppable this season. Johnson’s game should be perfectly suited to Dove Mountain, and I see the 28-year-old as multiple major winner in the making.

The difficulty with big-tournament predictions is there are so many viable candidates. Tiger Woods played some excellent golf en route to victory at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, a record-breaking eighth professional victory at the same venue. Phil Mickelson has also started the season brightly, showing impressive form with the driver at the Phoenix Open, where he notched his 41^st PGA Tour victory. All four players previously mentioned look well positioned to win majors and WGCs this season, and that is before we mention the likes of Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner, all of whom haven’t yet found top gear in 2013.

The British

That list expands even further when we bring the Europeans into the equation. Rory’s McIlroy simply doesn’t need to be mentioned, such is his evident and abundant talent. Lee Westwood and Luke Donald both performed admirably on the first PGA Tour starts of the season, and the latter won the Accenture Matchplay in 2011 en route claiming both money list titles. But the Englishman I think is in with the best chance of winning this week is Justin Rose.

The world number five is a fine exponent of matchplay golf, as he showed at the Ryder Cup. He hits more fairways and greens than most other players, and his consistency will grind his competitors down. As always with Rose it’ll come down to his putting, but his performances in the European Tour’s desert swing suggest he is ready to win another big tournament.

 And how can we fail to mention the insatiable Ian Poulter, a matchplay maestro and past winner of this tournament who will be well rested after a month-long break from the game.

Rest of world

Sergio Garcia has also made a fast start to the season, and was only denied a play-off berth at the Qatar Masters by Chris Wood’s brilliant eagle at the 72^nd hole. Martin Kaymer looks almost back to his best and Peter Hanson - another player with a quality-all round game and lots to prove after a disappointing Ryder Cup – looks a threat.

South Africans have also made a great start to the 2013 season. Charl Schwartzel set a tournament record in winning the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, and joins compatriot Louis Oosthuizen on the relatively small list of genuinely world-class golfers. George Coetzee, another denied by Wood in Qatar, is a huge talent, and Branden Grace – who finished inside the top 10 in all three of the desert swing events – could be the surprise package. Grace has moved seamlessly into the world’s top 30, a meteoric rise given he started the 2012 season 271^st in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 2013 season in perfectly poised as we approach the first major of the year. Some huge events on the PGA and European Tours lie in store before the Masters, and the first WGC of the year is sure to provide an indication as to who might do well over the next few months. There are so many class golfers who’ve started the season well, and such is the strength of the matchplay field that anyone is capable of winning.   

Photo Credit: Keith Allison - http://www.flickr.com/people/keithallison/