The beauty of the Match Play Championship lies in the sheer volume of material it throws the way of fans of a media types alike. 32 first-round matches can be relied upon to yield the same number of compelling narratives, variously framed as do-or-die clashes between contrasting generations, styles, continents, facial hair, even paces of play (Crane v. Watson; Manassero v. Simpson).
It’s a feast for the game’s more romantic aficionados – a deluge of news – even if the competitors are, in reality, only scrapping over the difference between two very large cheques.