The 2010 WGC Accenture Match Play Championship Six Pack

You know how I never pick guys to repeat as champion of events? Looks like Dustin Johnson may be causing me to rethink my policies.

He was only the third player to repeat as champion at Pebble Beach and, truth be told, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. DJ has certainly turned heads as a real contender and looks to be on pace for a stellar career.

This week we head to the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Golf Course at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz.

And this week, folks, it's match play. Will we see another repeat winner with Geoff Ogilvy?

Match play is a great event to bet T5 as well as to win. Take advantage, because you know there will be a minimum of eight people that qualify for a T5 or better finish.

Match play is a whole new animal compared to stroke play. You will find that there is no particular skill set to determining the success of a match play competitor.

Bombers win, as do shorter, more accurate players. There is an intangible when it comes to match play that involves having the proper mindset to win in this unique format.

As I pored over my six pack, I noticed I only have one American selected, and he is a fifth seed. I have a feeling this will be a Euro-dominant event this year.

There will be no Yahoo! update in this six pack. I am writing a separate six pack article for the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Maya Riviera, Mexico. That will be published later this evening. In that article you will find a second six pack for gambling this week, as well as my picks for the Yahoo! fantasy game.

If you are interested, you can print out and fill in some brackets here.

Instead of detailing each and every single pick of my brackets, I will simply give you my Elite Eight onward, bracket by bracket.

BOBBY JONES BRACKET

I like No. 5 seed Ross Fisher to meet No. 3 seed Ian Poulter. Fisher should have a great matchup with Michael Sim in round three, if Sim can knock off Stricker in round two. In the end, I think Ian Poulter will take the Bobby Jones bracket this year.

GARY PLAYER BRACKET

I like No. 4 seed Ernie Els in a showdown with talented Swedish standout and No. 2 seed Henrik Stenson. Els should have a staunch test against the Danish talent Soren Hansen in the second round.

For this matchup to occur, I will need Stenson to defeat defending champion Geoff Ogilvy in the third round. I say the Gary Player bracket will be owned by Henrik Stenson this year.

BEN HOGAN BRACKET

In this bracket, I believe we see the red hot No. 1 seed German Martin Kaymer face off against the young star for Northern Ireland, No. 2 seed Rory McIlroy.

Kaymer will face possibly the three toughest matches out of anyone to compete against McIlroy. I will detail this eventually in my six pack section.

In the end, I say McIlroy will take the Hogan bracket.

SAM SNEAD BRACKET

In the Snead bracket I foresee a showdown with No. 5 seed Stewart Cink and No. 2 seed Paul Casey. I think Casey will have a relatively simple time getting here, while Cink will have his work cut out for him. When the dust settles, I think we will see Stewart Cink reign supreme in the Sam Snead bracket.

SEMIFINALS

Poulter and McIlroy will be a stellar matchup, but in the end I like McIlroy to move into the final match. Stenson and Cink should also be a decent match, but I think that Stenson will be the one moving on to the final match.

FINALS

I like Poulter to defeat Cink to place third, while McIlroy will edge out Stenson in a 20-plus-hole brawl to claim victory, rendering Stenson a second-place finish.

Let’s check out the six pack in a bit more detail...

1. Rory McIlroy (No. 2 Seed, Hogan Bracket)

Rory’s worst finish in his past five events is T6. Couple that with the fact that he placed T5 in his debut here last year, and you’ve got an automatic contender.

He may be one of the younger players, but he is a match play assassin. I also like the way McIlroy’s bracket sets up for him.

He should eliminate Kevin Na in the first round pretty easily.

From there, I see him squaring off against "the mechanic," M.A. Jimenez. This match could be a little tighter than one might think, as Jimenez is a time-proven and skilled match player.

McIlroy will then probably meet Robert Allenby in the third round, and I expect to him to march on to his biggest competitor, Martin Kaymer. This should be a dogfight, and it could really go either way; both these Euro players are fantastic.

I like McIlroy, to finish it off and go all the way to win this year. He is currently at 16:1 odds of winning.

2. Martin Kaymer (No. 1 Seed, Hogan Bracket)

Kaymer has already won an event on the European Tour this year, the Abu Dhabi Championship and is coming off a phenomenal 2009 campaign. In 2009 he won back to back events, and had seven finishes in the top 10.

Kaymer is going to really be on his game in Arizona to find success. In his bracket, he will have to beat Chad Campbell right off the bat. You may think that a No. 1 seed versus a 16 seed is a no-brainer, but look at Campbell’s track record of success in match play. He will give Kaymer a run for his money.

From there in round two I see him facing another terrific match player in Tim Clark. I think Kaymer will surprise here and take Clark out.

I have Kaymer mapped out to face sleeper David Toms in the third round. Toms is another outstanding match player. I think that Kaymer will outlast Toms in a duel, and then go on to face McIlroy for the bracket. If McIlroy loses, it will be to Kaymer, who may just take the whole enchilada.

Martin Kaymer offers good value at 20:1 odds

3. Ian Poulter (No. 3 Seed, Jones Bracket)

Long before the Susan G. Komen Foundation made it chic, Ian Poulter has always been pretty in pink.

Poulter’s last five tournaments have seen him finish fourth, fifth, fifth, second, and 69th. He has been a great competitor at this particular outing with a fifth, fourth, and two ninth place finishes.

Poulter is clearly geared towards match play, and he will face a first round battle vs. another great match player in Justin Leonard. Leonard has not impressed me thus far in 2010, so I have a feeling that “Mr. plain” will go down to “Mr. Not-so-plain” right away.

Poulter I think will then face off against a red hot Matt Kuchar who makes his debut here. Ian should have no problem here.

His next match according to my bracketology will see him in a street fight with Englishman Ross Fisher. He will prevail and move on to defend the Bobby Jones Bracket vs. Rory McIlroy or Martin Kaymer from the Ben Hogan bracket.

Ian Poulter is well worth a look at 25:1 odds of winning.

4. Henrik Stenson (No. 2 Seed, Player Bracket)

This guy is definitely trending up over his past four tournaments with his most recent finish being a tie for eighth at the Dubai Desert Classic.

I really like Stenson in a match play format, as he can beat anyone in this field. He is notorious for showing up in big events and this year he will be a contender. He has won this event before, and also had placed third here as well.

Stenson’s biggest bump in the road will come in round three when he will most likely face defending champ Geoff Ogilvy. This will be one of the finest matchups of the tournament, and may last more than twenty holes to decide.

Stenson will then go on to battle and tried and true match play wizard, Ernie Els to come out as the Gary Player bracket victor.

Stenson is a big-time player in big-time events, so when I saw him at 28:1 odds, it was a no-brainer.

5. Stewart Cink (No. 5 Seed, Snead Bracket)

Cink is getting off to a decent start, but this is definitely an event that will see him step it up.

Stewart has a great track record in this event he has placed, second, third, fifth, and been tied for ninth two times.

Cink’s work will be immense as I see him facing off against the likes of Sean O’Hair, Charl Schwartzel, and Paul Casey.

I like Cink to move out to the semifinals as the owner of the Sam Snead bracket this year.

You don’t get 33:1 odds on a real contender very often, and I couldn’t resist.

6. Charl Schwartzel (No. 9 Seed, Snead Bracket)

There are few players on the European Tour that are as “on fire” as Mr. Schwartzel. This guy has already won twice this year, taking both the Africa Open and the Joburg Open, back to back in January.

Schwartzel placed in a tie for 17th here last year, but I think he will turn some heads in 2010 with a really good showing this week.

Schwartzel has the daunting task of tackling both Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk in his first two rounds. From there I foresee him in a battle with Cink to contend for the Sam Snead bracket.

Should Cink lose to Schwartzel, he suddenly becomes “the guy to beat.”

Watch out for this relatively unknown South African, as he offers great value at 66:1 odds.

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Good luck with your picks this week and keep your eyes peeled for the 2010 Mayakoba Golf Classic Six Pack to be released later this evening.