When play begins on Wednesday at the WGC Accenture Match Play, most fans will be focused on the Gary Player and Bobby Jones bracket regions as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy begin play, respectively. While the Sam Snead region may not be the most star-studded in the field, you can count on a slew of quality match-ups early on.
2013 WGC Accenture Match Play: Sam Snead bracket predictions
While the Sam Snead bracket of the WGC Accenture Match Play tournament may not be the most exciting, it is bound to offer several early dramatic matches.
Snead Bracket Best First Round Match -- Adam Scott vs. Tim Clark (9:05am EST)
Scott may be seeded higher (2nd overall) but the No. 15 Clark has one of the most repeatable golf swings on any pro tour. What Clark lacks in career wins on his resume he makes up for in high-pressure performance. On the contrary, Scott has been known to buckle under pressure (i.e. the 2012 British Open) which can spell a very interesting first round match. When the smoke clears, don’t be surprised to see Clark victorious.
Snead Bracket Underdog -- Thorbjorn Olesen
The 24-year old Danish sensation has a new equipment sponsor in Nike Golf and a renewed focus on his game. Olesen might be the most dangerous No. 10 seed in the entire tournament as he has been rock solid in 2013 (two to-3 finishes; no tournament finish lower than 31st).
Snead Bracket Darkhorse -- Bo Van Pelt
You down with BVP? Yeah, you know me. Van Pelt may not be a darkhorse to some fans, especially considering his No. 6 seeding in the region. While he did miss the cut in last week’s Northern Trust Open, Van Pelt has been known to turn his game around on a dime.
First Round Predictions
Donald def. Siem
Piercy def. Lawrie
Stricker def. Stenson
Watney def. Toms
Scott def. Clark
Olesen def. Donaldson
Poulter def. Gallacher
Van Pelt def. Senden
Second Round Predictions
Donald def. Piercy
Watney def. Stricker
Olesen def. Scott
Poulter def. Van Pelt
Semifinal Predictions
Donald def. Watney
Poulter def. Olesen
Final Four -- Overall Tournament -- Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley
Two top-seeds and two mid-seeds; I admit that I’m going a bit conservative on this projection. Woods and Donald have both won this event -- Tiger, three times before -- while Johnson and Bradley proved to be solid in match play during the Ryder Cup at Medinah.
Overall Winner -- Tiger Woods
He may seem like a lazy pick, however Woods may be primed for a historically-good season in 2013. With one victory already under his belt this year, Tiger has his game under control and his distances dialed in. That spells trouble for his competition.
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