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WGC Match Play - Six to watch

Image: Stenson: Back to defend crown in Arizona

The world's leading players contest the Accenture World Match Play this week and skysports.com picks six players to follow.

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Watch all five days of the Accenture World Match Play live on Sky Sports, starting Wednesday at 7pm on Sky Sports 3

The world's leading players take a break from the normal diet of 72-hole strokeplay competition to contest the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. European & PGA Tour stats package Now in its tenth season, the matchplay event will be held at The Gallery at Dove Mountain for a second straight year. Tiger Woods, as ever, heads a star-studded 64-man field but such being the nature of matchplay golf, the world No 1 finds it harder to dominate in this style of tournament than over four days of strokeplay. Woods won back-to-back WGC Match Play titles in 2003 and 2004, but over the last three years his individual record reads five wins-three losses. In fact, two of those three defeats have come at the hands of Nick O`Hern who has reached the last eight in three of his four starts in this event. Yet, strangely O`Hern - who tees-up again this week in Arizona - has never won a strokeplay tournament outside of his native Australia. However Woods, whose last six strokeplay starts read won-won-2nd-won-won-won, will once again be the man to beat and is clear favourite.

Six to watch out for:

Ernie Els: Up until a few days ago had not been intending to play in this event. Beaten in the first round in his last three appearances, the South African probably feels his decent recent form might just be a telling factor this week. Padraig Harrington: A top-20 finisher at Pebble Beach and tied-for-third at Riviera on Sunday, The Open Champion will be a threat if he can find his putting touch on these desert greens. Geoff Ogilvy: Struggling with form at the moment but has reached the final on his only two appearances in the competition. The Aussie won 11 straight matchplay ties before losing to Henrik Stenson in last year's title decider. Adam Scott: A winner in the Middle East last month, Scott has twice reached the last eight of the WGC Match Play event and in 2003 made it through to the semi-finals where he lost at the first extra-hole to eventual winner Tiger Woods. Henrik Stenson: The defending champion will fancy his chances. The Swede has already posted a brace of runner-up finishes this year. David Toms: In eight previous appearances has never lost in the first round. Has twice reached the final, winning once, and has won 20 of his last 25 ties. Has a superb matchplay record.

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