Front nine
SAN FRANCISCO -- The sense of anticipation and anxiety that has gripped players on Day 1 of the PGA Tour's only match play event will be missing at Harding Park on Wednesday morning.
What won't be missing are any of the big-name players, many of whom often were packing their bags before they would have stocked their lockers with golf balls and gloves if it were a regular tournament week.
The WGC-Cadillac Match Play is a departure from 72-hole, four-day stroke-play events. It lasts five days, is contested by match play, and this year a new format has been put in place to give the event a jolt while adding enjoyment for spectators and sponsors.
Ultimately, that is the bottom line, and the World Golf Championship event that began in 1999 and saw half the field eliminated in 32 one-and-done matches has been revamped so that everyone is around until at least Friday.
As in the past, the top 64 players via the Official World Golf Ranking qualify.
But unlike previous years, when players were matched via seedings established by the rankings and put in a bracket akin to the NCAA basketball tournament, they are now in 16 groups of four players, with round-robin matches taking place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
"I don't see any downside to it,'' said world No. 1-ranked Rory McIlroy, who has a tough group to get through in Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner. "If you go out and shoot 67 or 66 and get beaten on the first day, it still gives you an opportunity. You are obviously playing well. ... It seems like a bit of a fairer format, especially for 18-hole stroke play.''
That means a total of 96 matches in the next three days.
"That belongs somewhere in the Guinness Book of World Records,'' said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. "But we think it's going to be a great week for golf, and it's going to set the stage for many more years to come.''
Think World Cup soccer -- except with 64 players instead of 32 teams.
You play each team -- or in this case, player -- in your group one time. The top player from each group advances to the knockout stage, or round of 16, with elimination matches beginning Saturday morning.
The quarterfinals will take place Saturday afternoon, with the semifinals and finals to take place Sunday.
"The old format of straight knockout was a bit harsh,'' said Graeme McDowell, who won a similar-style match play event on the European Tour. "This is an interesting format. Even if you lose one, you have something to play for. And even if you win the first two you have something to play for. It's going to be a tough few days.''
One aspect that isn't being discussed but that might not be so favorable to the players: the money.
While the purse is huge -- $9.5 million -- there is more work involved. In the old format, six victories were necessary to hoist the title. Now it's seven matches for those who make it to Sunday.
And for those who go home Friday? The payouts range from $150,000 down to $46,000, depending how many matches they win in group play. In the old format, a first-round loser left with $48,000 and a second-round loser left with $99,000.
So in some instances, it's more work for less pay, although that is not a gripe you are going to hear.
"My mindset is still the same thing,'' said defending champion Jason Day. "I've got to go in here and try to win every match.''
Back nine
The United States Golf Association's decision to take this year's U.S. Open to a relatively new -- and almost brand-new when it was awarded -- venue in the Pacific Northwest has been the subject of both anticipation and angst.
Chambers Bay will host the first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest. The views are stunning and the uniqueness of the course will make for an interesting week.
Yet to be determined are the potential logistical problems associated with the layout, including spectator routing issues.
And then there is the venue itself, which boasts just a single tree, fescue grass and a links-like look that presents an unusual test.
"I would contend that there is no way, no way, a player would have success here at Chambers Bay unless he really studies the golf course and learns it,'' said USGA executive director Mike Davis on Monday at a media day to showcase the course. "The idea of coming in and playing two practice rounds and having your caddie just walk it and using your yardage book, that person's done. Will not win the U.S. Open."
Players typically take scouting trips to U.S. Open venues in advance and a few did prior to the Match Play in San Francisco, including Henrik Stenson, Ryan Palmer and Brooks Koepka. But doing so now requires some thought and planning given the distance from Seattle to the various tour venues that will be in the Midwest and East leading up to the year's second major.
Birdies
1. Justin Rose. After a tie for second at the Masters, Rose captured the Zurich Classic, giving him six straight years with a victory on the PGA Tour.
2. Lydia Ko. Her seventh LPGA victory came on the same weekend she turned 18.
3. Marc Leishman. The Aussie tied for 28th in his first event after his wife, Audrey, incurred toxic shock syndrome that put her in a coma. Leishman skipped the Masters to be with his wife, who is at home recovering.
Bogeys
1. Morgan Pressel. It's hard to believe she has not won since 2008, a chance at victory gone Sunday in a playoff loss to Lydia Ko.
2. Phil Mickelson. Lefty talked positively about playing in the Match Play, then withdrew on Sunday for undisclosed personal reasons that hopefully are nothing serious.
3. Ernie Els. For the first time since its inception in 1999, the four-time major winner is not part of the Match Play field.
19th hole
The Open Championship returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews this summer and the venue will get a new look as far as spectators are concerned. Grandstands have always surrounded the first tee and 18th green, creating a huge amphitheater-like setting for the point where the course starts and ends.
But a new L-shaped grandstand at the 17th hole and a new tiered grandstand behind the 18th will allow for more spectator seating, with some 2,000 fans able to get behind the home hole green. There will be nearly 10,000 seats available to spectators at the first, 17th and 18th holes.
This will be the 29th playing of the Open at St. Andrews.
Notable ...
Day defends his title at the new look WGC-Cadillac Match Play and comes in with a strong record in the event. He has a career mark of 14-3 in the tournament.
This is the seventh appearance in the tournament for McIlroy.
No. 2 Jordan Spieth, making his second appearance, won three matches a year ago before losing to Els.
Past champion Stenson is 13-7 overall.
There are five former winners of the event in the field: Day (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013), Hunter Mahan (2012), Ian Poulter (2010) and Stenson (2009). Luke Donald, who won in 2011, is eligible but is attending his brother's wedding this weekend.
Tim Clark withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Francesco Molinari. Mickelson withdrew due to personal reasons and was replaced by Mikko Ilonen.
... and Quotable
"That was our mentality. That's what great athletes do. In the big moments they want the ball and they make big shots and big putts, and that's what I inspired myself to do today."
-- Rose, after his Zurich Classic victory, describing how he was moved by the play of Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
