Accenture Match Play 2012: Players, Odds and Predictions

The 2012 Accenture Match Play begins this week, and the top players in the world are looking to pickup a tournament win before the majors start. 

Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer are the top four seeds in the World Golf Championships event. 

Last year, Donald beat Kaymer by three strokes to win it all, but this time around the two golfers are on the same side of the bracket. 

The most difficult bracket might just be the Sam Snead side, which features Westwood, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Nick Watney, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods. However, a case could be made for each bracket, so it's tough to say which side truly is the hardest. 

With that said, let's take a look at some specifics of the 2012 Accenture Match Play. 

When: Feb. 22-26

Where: The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ 

Watch: GOLF Channel, NBC on Saturday and Sunday (Times listed here). 

Players 

There are a total of 64 golfers competing in this tournament, and all are listed below. 

2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Field

Luke Donald	England
Lee Westwood	England
Rory McIlroy	N Ireland
Martin Kaymer	Germany
Steve Stricker	United States
Webb Simpson	United States
Jason Day	Australia
Adam Scott	Australia
Charl Schwartzel	South Africa
Dustin Johnson	United States
Graeme McDowell	N Ireland
Matt Kuchar	United States
Nick Watney	United States
K.J. Choi	Korea
Brandt Snedeker	United States
Sergio Garcia	Spain
Tiger Woods	United States
Bubba Watson	United States
Justin Rose	England
Hunter Mahan	United States
Bill Haas	United States
Ian Poulter	England
Thomas Bjorn	Denmark
Keegan Bradley	United States
Simon Dyson	England
Alvaro Quiros	Spain
David Toms	United States
Louis Oosthuizen	South Africa
Kim Kyung-Tae	Korea
Robert Karlsson	Sweden
Bo Van Pelt	United States
Jason Dufner	United States
Peter Hanson	Sweden
Anders Hansen	Denmark
Rickie Fowler	United States
Fredrik Jacobson	Sweden
Martin Laird	Scotland
Francesco Molinari	Italy
Mark Wilson	United States
John Senden	Australia
Bae Sang-moon	Korea
Aaron Baddeley	Australia
Paul Lawrie	Scotland
Geoff Ogilvy	Australia
Ben Crane	United States
Zach Johnson	United States
Gonzalo Fdez-Castano	Spain
Retief Goosen	South Africa
Miguel A Jimenez	Spain
Kyle Stanley	United States
Ryo Ishikawa	Japan
Darren Clarke	N Ireland
Y.E. Yang	Korea
Gary Woodland	United States
Jonathan Byrd	United States
Robert Rock	England
Jim Furyk	United States
Rafael Cabrera-Bello	Spain
Matteo Manassero	Italy
Kevin Na	United States
Greg Chalmers	Australia
Nicolas Colsaerts	Belgium
Ernie Els	South Africa
George Coetzee	South Africa

The entire bracket can be seen here.

Odds 

*According to ladbrokes.com 

Tiger Woods  10/1

Rory McIlroy  10/1

Lee Westwood  14/1

Luke Donald   14/1

Jason Day        20/1

Sergio Garcia   20/1

Martin Kaymer   20/1

Ian Poulter      25/1

Adam Scott      33/1

Webb Simpson  33/1

Dustin Johnson  33/1

Steve Stricker    33/1

Bill Haas          33/1

Golfers To Watch For 

Tiger Woods 

As the most popular golfer in the world, of course everyone will have an eye on Woods. Since the Masters aren't too far away, this is a crucial event for Tiger. 

He's been playing pretty well so far this season, but with this being match play, there is more pressure to win because it's a one on one event. 

Tiger's first-round opponent will be Gonzalo Fdez-Castano of Spain. 

Luke Donald 

Since he won it all last year, all eyes will be on Donald to see if he can repeat.

It's been a rough start for the Englishman, but a dominant showing here will help remind everyone why Donald is the No. 1 golfer in the world right now. 

Donald's first opponent is Ernie Els of South Africa. 

Bill Haas 

Fresh off winning the Northern Trust Open, Haas' confidence is sky high at the moment, and that will carry on into match play. 

The 29-year-old former Wake Forest Demon Deacon is playing very well, and because of his recent success, he'll keep performing at a high level. 

Haas' first opponent is the young Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. 

Best First Round Matchups 

There are only a few that really stick out, as the really good matchups will happen later on in the tournament. 

The best first-round matchups, though, include Golf Boys' stars Bubba Watson vs. Ben Crane, Donald vs. Els, Hunter Mahan vs. Zach Johnson, Graeme McDowell vs. Y.E. Yang and Sergio Garcia vs. fellow Spaniard Miguel A. Jimenez. 

Predictions 

Don't be surprised if Donald is upset in the first round by Els. I think he holds on but doesn't win it all again this year. 

For the final four, I like Adam Scott to represent the Bobby Jones bracket, McIlroy to represent the Gary Player bracket, Woods to represent the Sam Snead bracket and Steve Stricker to represent the Ben Hogan bracket. 

In the end, I have Scott winning it all over McIlroy.