MARANA, Ariz. ' Game. Set. Match Play. With the conclusion of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Monday, and the declaration of Dustin Johnson as the king of the Monterey Peninsula, qualifying for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship is officially set.
The top-64 players from the Official World Golf Ranking have earned a spot in the field for the first World Golf Championships event of the year, and now have until 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 20, to officially commit to the tournament. Brackets will be released on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET.
Johnson’s rain-shortened win moves him from No. 119 to No. 45 in the Official World Golf Ranking to qualify for his first Match Play Championship.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of Pebble was not such good news for those on the bubble. D.J. Trahan, No. 70 in the world going into last weekend, was in a three-way tie for sixth going into the last round Monday. He would have needed to finish fifth alone to qualify for the Match Play, but instead will move up to No. 66 and needs two players to withdraw.
David Toms was at No. 66 in the world ranking going into Pebble, but after missing the cut, he falls to No. 69, 5th alternate for the Match Play ' where he was a past champion and had a nine-year streak of never losing in the first round. With a T39 finish Monday, Pat Perez hung on to a spot in the field, despite dropping from No. 60 to No. 62. Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old from Japan, was at No. 64 and fell to No. 67, after not playing anywhere last weekend.
If the field stays as it stands Monday, a few potential match-ups would include the defending champion Tiger Woods (provided he plays) versus No.64 Brendan Jones. Pat Perez would take on the 2008 Player of the Year Padraig Harrington. Fifth-ranked Phil Mickelson would face No. 59. Angel Cabrera. Robert Karlsson versus Peter Hanson would see two Swedish compatriots go head to head. Fifteenth-ranked Justin Rose draws Boo Weekley at No. 50. Newly-crowned Pebble champ Johnson versus Steve Stricker. And the battle of South Africa would pit No. 32 Tim Clark with No. 33 Retief Goosen.
The Accenture Match Play Championship begins next week at a new venue, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, in Marana, Ariz., February 23-March 1.
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