This Week in Golf - February 17th through February 21st

Golf Betting Lines

02/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR/EUROPEAN TOUR - WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain-Marana, Arizona - It's the PGA Tour's version of March Madness in February.

This is the only match-play event on the PGA Tour schedule, and pits the top-64 ranked players in the world rankings following last week's Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

That's the theory behind it, but it's definitely not panning out in 2010.

Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in the world, is not playing as he's still in a self-imposed exile from golf to work on his marriage. There was speculation Woods would return this week, but it was not meant to be. He won this title three times and returned last year from his knee injury, only to get bounced in the second round.

Phil Mickelson, the tour's second-biggest star and No. 3 in the world, is also passing on the event. He cited a family vacation that was missed last year when he was getting his family through his wife's Amy's battle with breast cancer.

Steve Stricker is in the field and will be the No. 1 overall seed. His win at Riviera got him to second in the world, and he does have some history in this event. Stricker won this championship in 2001 and if you can name the man he beat, you win a free round from your friends. (Answer later).

The other No. 1 seeds will be, in order, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk and Martin Kaymer.

Players sometimes skip this event because of the nature of match play. You could last only one match, but some believe it is the truest form of competitive golf.

Among the last players to get in were Ross McGowan, Chad Campbell, Scott Verplank and Kevin Na.

Last year, Geoff Ogilvy won his second WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship when he beat Paul Casey in the final. Ogilvy is one of a handful of players with outstanding track records here. David Toms, Stewart Cink, Woods, Ogilvy and Davis Love III are others. Love did not qualify for the championship.

This event starts Wednesday with the first round, followed by the second round on Thursday and the third round on Friday. Both the quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, with a 36-hole final and 18-hole consolation match on tap for Sunday.

The Golf Channel has the first three rounds and early coverage on both Saturday and Sunday. CBS takes over the important stuff over the weekend.

Next week on the PGA Tour is the Phoenix Open, won last year by Kenny Perry. The European Tour takes off a week and during the first week of March it will be the Malaysian Open, which Anthony Kang captured in 2009.

PGA TOUR

MAYAKOBA GOLF CLASSIC AT RIVIERA MAYA-CANCUN, El Camaleon Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico - For those not fortunate enough to make the field at the Accenture Match Play Championship, an alternative in paradise isn't bad.

This venue has hosted every year since the tournament's inception in 2007. That year's championship marked the first official PGA Tour event conducted outside the United States or Canada.

Fred Funk won the first one, becoming the second player in history to win a Champions Tour event followed by a PGA Tour one. He is not in the field this week, and is pretty much a fixture on the Champions Tour.

Last year, Mark Wilson braved nasty winds on Sunday to pick up his second PGA Tour title, almost two years to the week after his first. He won the 2007 Honda Classic in a four-man playoff.

The Golf Channel will have all four rounds.

Next week is the Phoenix Open, then it's back to the east coast for the Honda Classic.

LPGA TOUR

HONDA PTT LPGA THAILAND, Siam Country Club, Old Course, Chonburi, Thailand - The LPGA Tour begins its 2010 season in Thailand with its best player defending a title.

Lorena Ochoa won last year's championship by three shots over Hee Young Park. Ochoa will be on hand to defend her title as all of the big stars are on hand for the 2010 debut.

Shin, Pettersen, Kerr, Gulbis, Wie, Creamer, Miyazato, Pak and Webb are all scheduled to compete.

This will be the first event with the LPGA Tour's new commissioner. Michael Wahn took over the chore of making the LPGA Tour a big-time player once again, after some years of trouble thanks to outgoing commissioner Carolyn Bivens.

The Golf Channel will have the final three rounds of coverage at different times.

Next week, the LPGA Tour stays in Asia with the HSBC Women's Champions event. World No. 2 Jiyai Shin won last year's title by two strokes over Katherine Hull.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP - The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida - The Champions Tour stays in Florida after last week's ACE Group Classic.

Last year, Mike Goodes, who turned pro only three years ago, won in his 32nd career event. He beat his practice partner Fulton Allem by a single stroke when Goodes birdied the last hole.

Goodes co-owned a plastics recycling business when he turned professional and joined the Champions Tour in 2007. He finished second at the 2008 Tradition, but made the leap to winner last year.

The field, as is customary on the Champions Tour these days, is loaded. Paul Azinger and Tommy Armour III, both fresh from their debuts on the elder circuit last week, are scheduled to play, but Fred Couples, who got his first win at the ACE Group Classic on Sunday, is not in the field this week.

Corey Pavin, the United States Ryder Cup captain, is playing his second Champions Tour event. The former U.S. Open winner tied for 13th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

The Golf Channel has all three rounds.

The Champions Tour is off next week, but March 5th will bring on the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Cal. Eduardo Romero captured last year's title.

CANADIAN TOUR

ABIERTO INTERNACIONAL DE GOLF II COPA ANTIOQUIA, Club Campestre El Rodeo sede La Macarena, Rio Negro, Colombia - The LPGA Tour isn't the only with its season debut this week. The Canadian Tour kicks off its 2010 campaign in Colombia.

This is the first time the Canadian Tour, Tour de las Americas and European Challenge Tour will join forces in a tri-sanctioned event. Players from each tour will comprise the field.

This is also the first time the Canadian Tour sanctioned an event in Colombia. The Canadian Tour previously teamed with the Tour de las Americas in 2008 to contest championships in Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica.

Last year's leading money winner on the Canadian Tour, Graham DeLaet, is now on the PGA Tour, but No. 2 on the money list Byron Smith is scheduled to compete.