Westwood relishes Harrington clash

Ryder Cup team-mates Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington are both looking forward to meeting in an intriguing first round encounter at the Accenture Match Play Championship tomorrow.

The teamwork they might look to during the Ryder Cup will be forgotten as the pair open their title bid in a 64-strong field at the Dove Mountain course near Tucson.

“It doesn’t really matter who you play,” said Westwood. “If my opponent was from Mars, I’d treat it the same. You just try to play well and hope he doesn’t play better.”

Harrington is of the same mind as his English opponent.

“It is a tough opening round, without a doubt, given his match play record,” said the Irishman.

“It is a different atmosphere to the Ryder Cup and he’ll be difficult, but all opening rounds are tough. You can’t expect to get any easier ones.”

Harrington is coming off a disappointing final round at the Nissan Open near Los Angels on Sunday, where he faded to finish seventh after starting the last day just a shot off the pace.

But he did enough at Riviera to show he is in good early season form, while Westwood also professes happiness with the state of his game, after three solid if unspectacular performances on the European Tour this year.

After being held at La Costa in southern California for seven of the past eight years, the World Golf Championships event has moved to Arizona, to a place outside Tucson called Dove Mountain.

The desert scenery is fantastic but not the course, judging by the early comments from competitors.

The players are less than overwhelmed by the new venue.

Westwood said: “The course is all right, nothing special. It’s not my favourite course, but not one I mind playing. It’s in great condition and the greens are good.”

Darren Clarke said he would rather the event had remained at La Costa, not surprisingly since he won there in 1999.

The Northern Irishman also faces a Ryder Cup team-mate tomorrow in Sergio Garcia, who will probably start a warm favourite after finishing sixth at Riviera on Sunday.

There will be two other all-European first round matches, with Colin Montgomerie taking on Swede Johan Edfors, while Luke Donald meets Spaniard Miguel Jimenez.

Another European with an interesting opponent is Henrik Stenson, the world number eight, who is seeking revenge on American Zach Johnson.

Stenson recalled he and Harrington were beaten by Johnson and Scott Verplank in their Saturday fourball match at last year’s Ryder Cup.

“It gives me a chance for payback,” said the powerful Swede, who is coming off a victory in Dubai, his last tournament, less than three weeks ago.

“He’s a good player, a fighter, and it’s going to be a tough match. He played great at the K Club.”

Stenson has not played since winning in Dubai and hardly touched a club during a fortnight off.

He is not particularly familiar with the vagaries of Arizona golf, his only previous visit to the state coming with the Swedish amateur team back in the 1990s.

If Stenson survives to the quarter-finals, his opponent might be Tiger Woods, although given the unpredictability of match play, it is perhaps a little futile to look so far ahead.

Woods must first get past fellow American JJ Henry, a team-mate on last year’s losing Ryder Cup team.

“I feel like I’m playing pretty well,” said Henry, who took the last spot in the field when South African Charl Schwartzel withdrew.

“My scores haven’t been great this year, but I’m making a lot of birdies. Slipping in at (seed) 64, it’s a great opportunity to play on the big stage, against Tiger.

“To spend a week with Tiger (at the Ryder Cup), I think that only helps my game. I don’t know if there’s any bigger stage than that.

“I feel if I can handle the situation like I did at the K Club, where for the most part I played pretty good golf when I got a chance to play, I don’t want to say this is a walk in the park, but it’s just another day of golf.”

Woods is after his eighth straight victory in a US PGA Tour-sanctioned event, which would put him only three short of matching the record of consecutive wins posted by Byron Nelson in 1945.