Stephen Ames and Tiger Woods, 2006 Match Play Championship
MARANA, Arizona - Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano fancies the idea of being a 'Tiger tamer' at this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship where he will meet three-times winner Tiger Woods in the opening round.
Fernandez-Castano, ranked 48th in the world, has never previously played in the company of Woods and said that while it was a privilege to be drawn against him in the Arizona desert the 14-times major champion was beatable.
"It's a great opportunity, and you have to look at it that way," the 31-year-old from Madrid told reporters at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Monday.
"If you tee it up on Wednesday thinking, 'Oh, no, I'm playing against Tiger', that's not the way to start a tournament.
"I'm the underdog, I have nothing to lose. And at the same time I don't think he's at his best so it's a good opportunity. If I play well I can beat him."
Fernandez-Castano regards Woods, ranked 20th, as one of the greatest to play the game but hopes to make the most of his opportunity against an opponent working his way back to form after two years of struggle due to injuries and marital trouble.
"Being 48th in the world rankings at the moment, you don't expect to be paired against Tiger Woods," the Spaniard said of his first-round draw in the elite 64-man event. "But those things happen.
"He's probably not at his best, and you have to look at it that way. Maybe it's a good chance to play good, and maybe I can beat him. That would be a great feeling.
"He's won this tournament three times and he has a very good match play record, especially in his amateur days, but not so good on the Ryder Cup. I think he's beatable."
The Spaniard's words harken back to the 2006 tournament when Calgary's Stephen Ames noted Tiger, struggling with his driving accuracy at the time, was ripe for the taking.
"Anything can happen especially where he (Tiger) is hitting the ball," Ames said a pre-tournament press conference.
Woods let his play do the talking, handing Ames one of the worst defeats in Accenture Match Play history, winning 9 and 8. When asked if he had anything to say in light of Ames' pre-tournament remarks, Tiger stated simply, "9 and 8".
Fernandez-Castano won his fifth European Tour title at last year's Singapore Open, ending a three-year victory drought that included almost six months on the sidelines because of a back injury.
Since launching his 2012 campaign, he has finished no worse than 26th in his first three events on the European circuit and he arrived at Dove Mountain this week in high spirits.
"I've had a good start to the season," Fernandez-Castano said. "I'm quite confident with my game and hopefully we can have a good tournament.
"Of course, to have a good tournament I need to first of all play the best golf of my life on Wednesday," he added with a broad grin.
Asked whether he might be distracted by the army of spectators and large media contingent which typically follow Woods, Fernandez-Castano replied: "I've played with big galleries before so I don't think that's going to be a problem.
"I'm sure they will all be rooting for him. I just want to enjoy it. I've never played with Tiger before, not even in a stroke play event. For me it's a big privilege.
"If I win, fantastic. If I lose, well, I've lost to one of the best players in history. I know I need to play my best golf and hopefully he doesn't play his best. That's the way it works. Match play is like that."
THIS WEEK IN GOLF
WGC: ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: Dove Mountain, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club (7,791 yards, par 72).
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Wednesday, noon-6 p.m., 7:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.; Thursday, 2-6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday, 2-6 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.; Saturday, noon-2 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 2-6 p.m.).
OH CANADA: No Canadians qualified to play in this event
NOTES: England's Luke Donald won his first WGC title a year ago without playing the 18th hole, topping Germany's Martin Kaymer 3 and 2 in the final. Donald also beat Charley Hoffman, Edoardo Molinari, Matteo Manassero, Ryan Moore and Matt Kuchar. ... The top-ranked Donald will face Ernie Els in the first round. ...Tiger Woods, the 2003, 2004 and 2008 winner, will open against Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Woods is making his third start of the year. He tied for third in Abu Dhabi and tied for 15th two weeks ago at Pebble Beach. ... Phil Mickelson is skipping this week's tournament in order to take a family vacation. ... First-round losers will receive $45,000.
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PGA TOUR: MAYAKOBA GOLF CLASSIC
COURSE: Mayakoba Resort, El Camaleon Golf Club (6,923 yards, par 70).
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Friday, 1:30-3:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30-4:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-3 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Monday, 1-3 a.m.).
OH CANADA: Stephen Ames, David Hearn, Matt McQuillan and Mike Weir are taking advantage of this tournament being played opposite the WGC event.
NOTES: Johnson Wagner beat Spencer Levin with a par on the first hole of a playoff last year. ... Wagner, the Sony Open winner in Hawaii in January, is in the field after failing to qualify for the Match Play Championship. ... Greg Norman and Nick Price are among the 11 major winners in the field
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LPGA TOUR: HSBC WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS
COURSE: Tanah Merah Country Club, Garden Course (6,547 yards, par 72).
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1:30-6 p.m.).
OH CANADA: No Canadians are entered in this event
NOTES: Australia's Karrie Webb rallied to beat Japan's Chie Arimura by a stroke last year. ...Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato, the 2010 winner, are in the field as is Michelle Wie, coming off a 38th-place tie in Thailand. ... This is the final stop on the LPGA's season-opening Asian swing before beginning it's domestic schedule in March.
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eGOLF PROFESSIONAL TOUR: OLDFIELD OPEN
COURSE: Oldfield Country Club (7,142 yards, par 72) and Chechessee Creek Club (6,606 yards, par 72)
OH CANADA: Roger Sloan, who finished second in last week's Palmetto Championship, and Cam Burke, coming off a sixth place tie last week, are in the field
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ASIAN TOUR: SAIL-SBI OPEN
COURSE: Delhi Golf Club, New Delhi (6,963 yards, par 72)
OH CANADA: Lindsay Renolds and Ron Harvey, Jr. are in the field