Luke Donald has been the world No 1 for the last 39 weeks and easily the most consistent player in the last year, but a poor performance in the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship could see him lose his crown to either Rory McIlroy or Lee Westwood.
Donald has held the top spot in men’s golf since winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth nine months ago, and has held onto the honour with an iron fist.
How Luke could lose the world No 1 ranking
Both Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood have a chance of taking the world No 1 spot away from Donald this week.
If Rory McIlroy wins the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship and Donald fails to make it to the third round, the Northern Irishman will become the new world No 1.
For Lee Westwood to become the top-ranked golfer in the world he needs to win the tournament and hope Donald doesn’t make it to the quarter-finals.
Luke Donald's poor performance in Northern Trust Open
The chasing pair might have taken some heart from Donald’s poor showing in the Northern Trust Open a week ago, but it won’t concern the Englishman too much.
He tied for 56th this year after a poor final-round 78, but last year he didn’t even manage to make the cut in the Northern Trust Open and went on to win the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship.
Westwood also has the onerous record of having never made it past the second round of this event.
McIlroy on the other hand has a decent record in the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship, but is up against George Coetzee in the first round. A player who he might not be familiar with, but one I know to be a very good player.
Who do you think will be the world No 1 come Monday morning?
WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship – First Round Draw
(South African matches in bold)
Bobby Jones bracket
(1) Luke Donald v (64) Ernie Els
(32) Jason Dufner v (33) Peter Hanson
(16) KJ Choi v (49) Kyle Stanley
(17) Brandt Snedeker v (48) Retief Goosen
(8) Adam Scott v (57) Robert Rock
(25) Bo Van Pelt v (40) Mark Wilson
(9) Dustin Johnson v (56) Jim Furyk
(24) Thomas Bjorn v (41) Francesco Molinari
Gary Player bracket
(2) Rory McIlroy v (63) George Coetzee
(31) KT Kim v (34) Anders Hansen
(15) Sergio Garcia v (50) Miguel Angel Jimenez
(18) Keegan Bradley v (47) Geoff Ogilvy
(7) Jason Day v (58) Rafael Cabrera-Bello
(26) Simon Dyson v (39) John Senden
(10) Charl Schwartzel v (55) Gary Woodland
(23) Ian Poulter v (42) Bae Sang-moon
Ben Hogan bracket
(4) Martin Kaymer v (61) Greg Chalmers
(29) David Toms v (36) Rickie Fowler
(13) Matt Kuchar v (52) Jonathan Byrd
(20) Bubba Watson v (45) Ben Crane
(5) Steve Stricker v (60) Kevin Na
(28) Louis Oosthuizen v (37) Aaron Baddeley
(12) Graeme McDowell v (53) YE Yang
(21) Hunter Mahan v (44) Zach Johnson
Sam Snead bracket
(3) Lee Westwood v (62) Nicolas Colsaerts
(30) Robert Karlsson v (35) Fredrik Jacobson
(14) Nick Watney v (51) Darren Clarke
(19) Tiger Woods v (46) Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
(6) Webb Simpson v (59) Matteo Manassero
(27) Alvaro Quiros v (38) Martin Laird
(11) Bill Haas v (54) Ryo Ishikawa
(22) Justin Rose v (43) Paul Lawrie
Tournament history
Past winners
2011 – Luke Donald beat Martin Kaymer
2010 – Ian Poulter beat Paul Casey 4 and 2
2009 – Geoff Ogilvy beat Paul Casey 4 and 3
2008 – Tiger Woods beat Stewart Cink 8 and 7
2007 – Henrik Stenson beat Geoff Ogilvy 2 and 1
Longest championship match
Jeff Maggert defeated Andrew Magee, 1999, 38 holes
Longest match (non-championship)
26 holes, Scott Verplank def. Lee Westwood, first round, 2006
26 holes, Mike Weir def. Loren Roberts, first round, 2003
25 holes, Darren Clarke def. Eduardo Romero, first round, 2004
24 holes, Chad Campbell def. Miguel Angel Jimenez, third round, 2005
23 holes, Colin Montgomerie def. Niclas Fasth, first round, 2006
Largest margin of victory
9 and 8, Tiger Woods def. Stephen Ames, first round, 2006
8 and 7, Tiger Woods def. Stewart Cink, final round, 2008
8 and 7, Stephen Ames def. Robert Karlsson, first round, 2007
7 and 6, Sergio Garcia def. Mike Weir, second round, 2000
7 and 6, Tiger Woods def. Stephen Leaney, third round, 2003
