First of all let me say that I love this event, and LOVE EVEN MORE that it is held in Tucson (well just north in Marana, but I’ll claim it). I really hope that it stays here, but am not too confident that it is going to. I went up to watch on Wednesday and always love watching the world’s best play this wonderful game. If you’d like to check out some of the videos I shot on Wednesday, you can head on over to the Golf Better Tucson Facebook Page to check them out.
Here are my thoughts on the matches happening on Saturday:
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BOBBY JONES BRACKET
-Louis Oosthuizen (8) vs. Jason Day (2)
I believe the best golf of the day will be played in this match. Louis Oosthuizen, when healthy, is a top 5 player in the world and Jason Day can play at a very high level as well. Louis has been playing consistently great golf all week and has been putting beautifully. Jason is a long-hitting, tough opponent, and has played well here for the second consecutive year. As much as I like both players, I believe the strong play of Louis to be too much for Jason.
*Louis wins 3 and 2*
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BEN HOGAN BRACKET
-Jim Furyk (5) vs. Fowler (14)
If you look up the definition of “gritty” in the dictionary you will find a picture of Jim Furyk (and this year’s Graeme McDowell). His consistent play on this tough track has allowed him to wear down opponents. One of the better stories of this year’s event has been the play of Rickie Fowler. I really doubt anyone had him beating match play beast Ian Poulter in the first round (I didn’t), let alone going this far in the event (after missing three straight cuts). It’s fun to see his new swing in play and he appears to be rounding into form. This was a tough match to pick. I’m going to ride Rickie’s new form and say he is just going to play just a bit better than Jim.
*Rickie wins 1up*
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SAM SNEAD BRACKET
-Graeme McDowell (4) vs. Victor Dubuisson (7)
G-Mac’s amazing ride has been the story of the event. He has been 3 down in every match and has somehow fought his way back every time. He is such a gritty player and overall just a cool guy that is hard to root against (who doesn’t like his accent?). Victor Dubuisson’s play has not been a surprise to me. He and George Coetzee have been playing VERY very well of late and are both in great form (Coetzee won last week, Dubuisson’s form has been good for the last few months). I had them both advancing the first two rounds, but didn’t see Victor taking down Bubba. I’m going to continue to ride the magic of McDowell in this match.
*McDowell wins in 20 holes* (why not)
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GARY PLAYER BRACKET
-Jordan Speith (3) vs. Ernie Els (8)
This was by far the easiest match to pick, and frankly I don’t think it is going to be close. Jordan’s form has been very strong the last 6 months or so, and has been very good this week. Ernie is over par for the week and is just playing well enough to get by. As much as everyone enjoys watching Ernie’s beautiful tempo, I think this will be a Speith blowout.
*Speith wins 5 and 4*
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Champion Prediction: Louis Oosthuizen will beat Jordan Speith 2 and 1
