Returning to action for the first time since his knee surgery last June, Tiger Woods will face World No.
64 Brendan Jones on Wednesday in the first round of the World Golf Championship – Accenture Match Play Championship. Woods, the defending champion and three-time winner of this event, will be playing his first competitive round since defeating Rocco Mediate in the U.S. Open playoff last June. He is the No. 1 seed in the Bobby Jones bracket and has four other major champions in his bracket. Also in Woods’ bracket are ninth-seeded Retief Goosen, fifth-seed Mike Weir, 2006 champion and second-seeded Geoff Ogilvy and seventh-seed Trevor Immelman. If that wasn’t enough star power, the bracket also includes Camilo Villegas, U.S. Ryder Cupper Hunter Mahan and 2002 Match Play winner Kevin Sutherland. Sergio Garcia (Gary Player bracket), Padraig Harrington (Sam Snead) and Vijay Singh (Ben Hogan) are the other top seeds. Garcia’s bracket includes four former Ryder Cup teammates of Garcia – Paul Casey (sixth seed), Robert Karlsson (second seed), Justin Rose (fourth seed) and Ian Poulter (eight seed). Two U.S. Ryder Cup performers — Kenny Perry (third seed) and Boo Weekley (13th seed) — and three Australians, including Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley, are also in the Player bracket.
Harrington’s bracket includes Jim Furyk (fourth seed) and Anthony Kim (third seed), as well as 2007 champion and second-seeded Henrik Stenson, two-time runner-up in this event Davis Love III and 10th seeded Andres Romero, who tied for third at the Northern Trust Open behind winner Phil Mickelson.