Well, round one of matches at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship is in the books, and boy, that was a lot of golf for a day! I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened, but that’s nearly impossible (and I don’t want to spend all night writing up every single match), so let’s just take a look at the key match-ups and a few of the upsets.
As you’re well aware from your own money games on the golf course, one of the differences the match play format lends is allowing players to concede putts to their opponents. However, the average hacker is likely much more generous with giving putts than a PGA Tour pro is (at least I am). Sometimes pros make opponents putt out a tap-in just because they feel like it or perhaps to get under their opponents’ skin.
Jason Day has a history of being rather stingy when it comes to conceding putts. He kicked off the day of pre-tournament press conferences at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship with some amusing stories of times that he made his opponents angry at him because he didn’t concede very short putts.
The Masters champ during a practice round at TPC Harding Park on Monday
After rolling just a few putts — and exchanging a few words with world no. 1 Rory McIlroy — he hopped on another golf cart to the eighth hole, where he met up with Ryan Palmer and Gary Woodland to play an 11-hole practice round. It was his first look at the course.
As if this week’s WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship isn’t grueling enough, with the possibility of players competing in up to seven matches at TPC Harding Park. Nonetheless, Rory McIlroy plans to go out of his way to sit ringside for Saturday’s blockbuster fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
If McIlroy advances to the semifinals after Saturday’s matches, he will still fly (private, duh) to watch the fight, according to the Daily Mail.
The WGC-Cadillac Match Championship kicks off this week at a new venue, TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, along with a completely revamped format.
An important FYI: The matches start on Wednesday. Here’s what else you need to know:
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