Cisco World Match Play Championship

17 Oct 2002 - 20 Oct 2002
Wentworth Club, Surry, England

Mike and I flew into London, England on Sunday night following the Las Vegas Invitational. The Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, England is the host course for this week's Cisco World Match Play Championship. Mike is looking forward to this event: “I am excited about playing in this world-class event against a very strong field. Match Play is a format that I enjoy, having had some success in the 2000 Presidents Cup. With all matches being 36 holes it will be important to stay patient and hopefully make some putts.”

The course itself is wonderful, and in great shape and will prove to be a challenge this week for some of the world’s best players. All of the par fives are reachable for most players in the field, and will provide many eagle and birdie opportunities. The 4 par 4’s are very long, putting emphasis on making good, accurate tee shots and approach shots to reach the green. The 481-yard par 4 16th is monstrous in length, so making par will be a must on this hole. A unique characteristic of the West course at Wentworth is the back-to-back par 5s on 17 and 18. At 571 and 531 yards respectively, these last finishing holes provide ample opportunity for those players who are behind the lead to catch up.

The picturesque and challenging par threes include the 154-yard second, which requires a tee shot that must carry a creek and avoid the Spanish Oak guarding the green; the uphill 191-yard fifth, where the green is surrounded by four bunkers, and the 179-yard 14th, where the tee shot is virtually blind to an elevated green. The 184-yard 10th hole requires the tee ball to carry a ravine and avoid a stand of trees that guards the right side of the green. Bunkers surrounding the green and the undulating surface make for a challenging finish to the hole. The par 3’s will be the most challenging, and club selection will be vital.

We are looking forward to this event this week, as it is a different format than usual PGA events. It is also Mike’s last event for a while – he competes next in December in the World Golf Championship – EMC World Cup, so would like to go out with a great finish.