This Round of 16 matchup at the WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play tournament is a heavyweight fight between a legend and the man who idolized him from a young age.
Tiger vs. Rory is the match of the tournament. Both players are hot at the moment. Rory is fresh off of a victory at TPC Sawgrass, edging out a one-shot margin over Jim Furyk. Tiger had the gallery roaring on Friday with his signature fist-pumps from the fairway after holing out on number 13 from 82 yards for eagle.
Forget the comparisons between the two throughout the years – the only thing that matters is Saturday. Needless to say, golf is a game played one shot at a time, especially during match play. Every hole and every shot is magnified.
Throw in more than one thousand spectators following the group and you have pressure. The difference in this matchup will come down to mental toughness. This matchup will redefine the meaning of head-to-head.
Rory felt confident and notched a couple of Majors while Tiger was away from the game. McIlroy even poked fun at Tiger over social media regarding his workout regimen. Only time will tell whether karma will come back to haunt Rory. He has gotten better with handling pressure over the years and has played with Tiger countless times, but rarely has been pitted against him.
Tiger has not played his best golf so far this season, but if this tournament is any indication of where his game is at, he’s ready to break out. It’s the perfect time for that, with The Masters looming.
Technically speaking, Rory has the upper-hand in this matchup because he has not lost a match yet in this championship. Not to mention, he’s ranked 4th in the Official World Golf Rankings. In order for Tiger to advance and knock Rory out of the tournament, he has to remain at the top of his game from tee to green on the green. Keeping it in the short grass doesn’t hurt either. Tiger’s putting has always been his achilles heel though. He either drains putts or burns edges.
Both players have similar games so it will be a very close match with all eyes watching. Not only are golf fans excited for this one, Tiger himself said he’s looking forward to the showdown.
The tee time is set for 9:30 a.m. Eastern and the Golf Channel will begin its coverage of the Round of 16 at 10 a.m. Whichever player advances will be featured in the quarterfinals, which will be aired on NBC beginning at 2 p.m.
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