This week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship brings together both the European and PGA Tour for the first time this season.
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Match play is completely different to stroke play and this tournament usually produces plenty of shocks in the early rounds, but I think it's still important to back players who are performing at the top of their game rather than those who might be lit-up by this format.
Phil Mickelson tops the combined Form Guide but he has elected to take a holiday rather than play in a tournament where he usually disappoints, so that means our focus will be on last week's winner Bill Haas, huge-hitter Kyle Stanley, and a back-to-form Dustin Johnson.
Haas has recorded four top-20 finishes already this year including a fourth and a win, and his performance in the mix last week and at last season's FedEx Cup finale hints that he has the right game for this format. The way he played the second play-off hole at the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, knowing that his two opponents were in deep trouble, was perfect match play golf. Fingers crossed he can play like that all week.
Stanley has four top-25 finishes to his name, including a second and a win, and he might try and drive his opponents into submission this week. It might work, it might not. Johnson has finished fifth and fourth in the last two weeks, his long game being particularly impressive. He'll need to putt better this week but I like the way he is approaching peak form.
Players to watch: Bill Haas 50.0, Kyle Stanley 55.0, Dustin Johnson 36.0
