Lee Westwood
A year ago, the Englishman lost to Nick Watney 2 and 1 in the second round of the 2010 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. It was a day in which each of the remaining three No. 1 seeds left in the bracket were eliminated.
Westwood
Spin forward to Thursday. There are again just three No. 1 seeds left after Tiger Woods lost to Thomas Bjorn on Wednesday. And again, Westwood finds himself having to play Watney in the second round.
Westwood enters the match – which starts at 1:34 p.m. ET – feeling good about his game. He won four holes on the back nine in beating Henrik Stenson, the 2007 Accenture Match Play champion, 3 and 2. Westwood birdied three of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club’s four par 5s.
But Watney was even more impressive in eliminating fellow American Anthony Kim 5 and 4. He won five of the first nine holes – albeit just two with birdies, as Kim struggled to find his game.
Watney
Watney is off to a hot start on the PGA TOUR, with top 6 or better finishes in each of his first three starts. Last year, he showed he was not intimidated in facing a top-ranked player.
Westwood, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, knows that anything can happen in match play.
Asked how far he expects to advance this week, Westwood said, “I have no idea. Every day is a bonus. See how it goes.
“I’m pretty pragmatic about it after 10 years.”
Certainly after last year, he knows he’ll have his hands full Thursday against Watney.
