Outright Preview: Kaymer Sole Favourite Heading to the Quarters

Martin Kaymer has looked very much the favourite throughout the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona and on Friday he showed some serious fortitude in a come from behind win over Hunter Mahan.

For much of the day, it looked as though the man many consider to be the best player in the world would come to an unceremonious demise at the hands of the American Ryder Cupper.  The German star got his first lead in the match on the 16th hole and then quickly ended it on the 17th with a par after battling back from 2 down thru 12 holes.

After yesterday’s shaky performance, Kaymer put on a match play performance worthy of a world number one as he made clutch putt after clutch putt to first stay in the match and then to close it out.  One really can’t argue with him going out tomorrow on top of the board at (11-4).

Kaymer’s spot at the top is logical and sensible, but the man who comes in behind him at (9-2) is really a shaky second best.

Luke Donald destroyed Charley Hoffman in round one then put on solid performances against a pair of Italians as he beat Eduardo Molinari and Matteo Manassero.  He now takes on Ryan Moore who had a gutsy 19th hole win over Nick Watney.

Granted, Donald, at first glance, would seem to have a reasonably easy road to the final and once there, obviously, anything can happen, but that would be to discount the fine play of both Moore and his potential semi-final matchup against 2009 PGA Champion YE Yang, or Matt Kuchar, the reigning PGA Tour money champion.

At (5-1) is Bubba Watson, a fan favourite, who has been playing some great golf early in 2011 and has ridden that momentum to a quarter final berth in the Match Play after defeating defending champion Geoff Ogilvy 6 and 4.

It’s going to be one heck of a long hitting quarter-final as Watson now faces fellow bomber JB Holmes.  Assuming that Watson’s relatively more refined game tops Holmes and it’ll setup a semi-final matchup with Martin Kaymer.  Can Watson get by Kaymer?  On a good day, maybe.

Opening long odds pick YE Yang continues to impress after starting the tournament at (66-1) and he now stands at a much improved (8-1) as he looks to a quarter final matchup against Matt Kuchar after a clinical defeat of Graeme McDowell 3 and 2.

I think I fail a bit less than everyone else   - Jack Nicklaus