MARANA, Ariz. – Once the action starts at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship things move fast, so your on-site scribes Randall Mell and Rex Hoggard offer a quick glance of what to expect on Day 1 at Dove Mountain (click here for the full bracket):
| Randall: Former champ Henrik “Boxer Briefs” Stenson gets boxed out in a brief appearance this year by a highly motivated world No. 1. |
| Rex: The world-No. 1-in-waiting has little trouble with the Korean, who has a grand total of five lifetime starts on the PGA Tour. |
| Randall: Expectorations, uh, sorry, expectations have changed for Tiger, but he spits out another Match Play opponent anyway. |
| Rex: Jones has been here before, going down to Tiger Woods two years ago in Round 1, and this season’s stay in the Arizona desert will be just as brief. |
| Randall: I’m betting Heath Slocum’s caddie won’t be ripping off his bib before this one’s over. McDowell wins. |
| Rex: A bracket bridesmaid the last two years at Dove Mountain, Casey cruises past Green on his way to another finals runs. |
| Randall: Byrd has reveled playing with his back to the wall, and that’s what it will feel like against the talented young Irishman, whom Byrd sends home early in this upset. |
| Rex: This is going to send my Cheese-headed cubicle-mate into a tizzy, but the young Italian stuns Stricker whose Match Play record is pedestrian at best since his 2001 victory. |
| Randall: The talented artist from England paints a pretty picture in the desert, one Hoffman won’t stop to admire on his way out of town. |
| Rex: Close match but Match Play rookie Palmer edges Furyk, who has started his season slowly. |
| Randall: The Hoosier does a little Hickory High weave around the Big Easy in a first-round upset. |
| Rex: A Ryder Cup redo of sorts, but the colorful defending champion clips Cink. |
| Randall: Try as he might, Mr. Hansen can’t wipe that smile off Kuchar’s face with Kuchar continuing to take his game to another level. |
| Rex: In a classic clash of divergent styles Wilson, the PGA Tour’s only two-time winner in 2011, wears out Johnson with his fairways-and-greens schtick. |
| Randall: Highest ranked player nobody’s paying attention to (Karlsson) wins another in the shadows. |
| Rex: Although solid last week at Riviera, Choi’s had little luck at the Match Play and Goosen is trending in the right direction. |
| Randall: The Italian teaches Moore the meaning of the word “arividerchi” in dispatching the American in the first round. |
| Rex: The showdown of Sean Foley disciples goes to Mahan, whose superior ballstriking makes him a favorite this week. |
| Randall: Bubba’s strained oblique won’t feel any better after Haas sticks a loss in his ribs. |
| Rex: As long as Van Pelt isn’t asked to spell Oosthuizen he’ll roll to victory over the Match Play rookie. |
| Randall: Spanish missiles light up the desert sky with Quiros riding a hot streak to another win. |
| Rex: No need for a called-in ruling, Villegas’ week will be short without an unpopular disqualification. |
| Randall: Even bulls refuse to fight “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” how’s Ikeda supposed to beat him? |
| Rex: Remember that halved Monday singles match with Rickie Fowler at the Ryder Cup? This half of the flying Molinari brothers sails to a Round 1 victory. |
| Randall: The Bashful Prince will know another level of shyness when Schwartzel’s done with him. |
| Rex: They say the race goes to the slow and steady, but this bout goes to the relative sprinter Scott. |
| Randall: “No worries, Mr. Kim, that bloke that just beat you is Tall Poppies.” Translation of Aussie slang: Day’s really good. |
| Rex: Allenby is playing well, but Fisher is a match play assassin and will bury the Aussie with birdies. |
| Randall: Bad news for Mr. Hanson, Fowler seemed to really like match-play pressure in his Ryder Cup debut. |
| Rex: Ogilvy, Ogilvy, Ogilvy . . . oi, oi, oi. Translation: the former two-time Match Play champion wins in a walk-over. |
| Randall: Sound the bugle, the Zach Attack moves through the desert. |
| Rex: Swing coach says Kim is “fine” after L.A. withdrawal, but Watney will give him some extra time to recover with an early exit. |
