Edited by Anand Datla
April 28, 2015: Anirban Lahiri is set to take on Ryan Palmer in his PGA Tour Match Play debut at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play at the TPC Harding Park. With 32 matches set to get underway on the first day of the WGC – Cadillac Match Play on Wednesday, Lahiri is second on the card at 1000hrs local time in San Francisco. (Read more in Golf)
Here is some key match ups to look up to when the even kicks off on Wednesday
1. Justin Rose v Marc Leishman. Rose’s victory in New Orleans last week confirmed the Englishman is back to his very best following his runner-up finish to Jordan Spieth at The Masters. The Englishman looks in great form and will be the favourite to get his bid for a second Wold Golf Championship victory of his career.
2. Ian Poulter v Webb Simpson. Poulter arrives at any match play event as a pre-tournament favourite. The Englishman loves the format more than most but and will be relishing another match-up with the man he defeated in The 2012 Ryder Cup singles at Medinah before halving with the American during Europe’s victory at Gleneagles last year.
3. Sergio Garcia v Tommy Fleetwood. In the all-European group 10 at this year’s WGC – Cadillac Match Play, Garcia takes on English debutant Tommy Fleetwood.
4. Jamie Donaldson v Bernd Weisberger. Europe’s Ryder Cup match winner at Gleneagles takes on Austria’s number one in the other all-European match in Group 10.
5. Jordan Spieth v Mikko Ilonen. A nice quiet start for the man who only got into the tournament on Sunday night. Ilonen will face golf’s man of the moment in Spieth, but if the Masters Champion thinks he will have an easy first round he should think again. Ilonen is the current Volvo Match Play Champion (having defeated Henrik Stenson in the final at the London Club last October) and has a match play pedigree dating back to his amateur days when he claimed the 2000 British Amateur Championship.
6. Patrick Reed v Andy Sullivan. One of seven European Tour debutants this week, Sullivan has never played professionally in America. He will go up against one of the game’s toughest competitors in Reed, a man renowned for his match play prowess during an impressive college career.
7. Bubba Watson v Miguel Angel Jiménez. Arguably the most exciting player in the game takes on arguably the most entertaining man in golf. Like so many of the first round matches, this may look like an easy win for Watson but no-one should write off the great Miguel. He may the oldest player in the field, but he is also one of the most experienced match players around and handed Bubba a lesson in the craft at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor when the Spaniard defeated the American 4&3 in the Sunday Singles.
8. Louis Oosthuizen v Keegan Bradley. Both men have been showing glimpses of their best form of late and will need to bring their ‘A’ games to land a first victory of the week.
9. Graeme McDowell v Shane Lowry. The all-Ireland clash pits two great friends against one another at this tournament for the second time following their third round clash in 2013 when Ryder Cup veteran McDowell won 3&2. Lowry, who defeated Rory McIlroy in round one that same year, will be no pushover, though, with a fine match play record stretching back to his amateur days.
10. Rory McIlroy v Jason Dufner. The World Number One gets his bid to win a second WGC title against the slim-line Jason Dufner, one of three Americans in the Northern Irishman’s group. He’ll also face Billy Horschel and Brand Snedeker in his round one group.
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