(
)
MARANA, Ariz. — Tiger Woods had a one-liner ready when asked about the weather forecast, which includes the possibility of snow at the Match Play Championship.
“We won’t be able to work on our suntans,” he said.
A front was expected to move across the high desert overnight and bring temperatures low enough that light snow was possible. At best, it figures to be frigid for the morning matches as the sun climbs over The Ritz-Carlton Club at Dove Mountain.
Two years ago, morning snow covered the course before Luke Donald beat Martin Kaymer in the championship match. There also was a 10-minute delay when sleet coated the fourth fairway.
The cool temperatures might make it harder for the world’s No. 1 player to heat up. Rory McIlroy made a big splash last month at the Abu Dhabi Championship. He was introduced as Nike’s latest client, complete with a laser show and high expectations, only to miss the cut in his debut.
McIlroy reached the championship match a year ago, losing to Hunter Mahan. Today, he will be battling the weather, as well as first-round opponent Shane Lowry, whom McIlroy has known since they were juniors playing Irish golf events. And he will try to avoid becoming the third No. 1 seed to lose in the opening round in the last four years — and do it with his new Nike equipment, which didn’t work out so well in Abu Dhabi.
Nick Faldo said it was “dangerous” to change equipment. Speaking from his own experience a generation ago, Faldo said that while the specifications can be duplicated, that doesn’t take into account the feel of the club, the sound it makes and the confidence that gets developed.
Woods opens against Charles Howell III in a match that takes both of them back to their youth. The last time they faced each other in this format, Woods beat Howell in the quarterfinals of the 1996 U.S. Amateur.
Woods is the only three-time winner of the Match Play Championship, though he hasn’t advanced out of the second round since he last won this event in 2008.