MARANA, Ariz. – Sixteen matches will comprise the second round of the 2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. GolfChannel.com senior writers Randall Mell and Rex Hoggard are on site and offer up predictions on Day 2. Hoggard takes on the Jones and Hogan brackets. (Click for Mell’s Snead and Player brackets)
BOBBY JONES BRACKET
No. 16 Ernie Els vs. No.9 Peter Hanson
Winner: Els
The lowdown: So much for the difficulties of being a 64th seed, the Big Easy rolled past world No. 1 Luke Donald and we can’t image how Hanson could slow him down.
No. 13 Kyle Stanley vs. No. 5 Brandt Snedeker
Winner: Stanley
The lowdown: It will be close, extra holes is not out of the question, but Stanley prevails in this Torrey Pines sequel.
No. 15 Robert Rock vs. No. 10 Mark Wilson
Winner: Wilson
The lowdown: I know, only paper beats Rock, ba-da boom. But Wilson had six birdies through 16 holes against Bo Van Pelt and has the type of fairways-and-greens game that plays well in this event.
No. 3 Dustin Johnson vs. No. 11 Francesco Molinari
Winner: Molinari
The lowdown: Both players needed extra holes to advance to Round 2 and neither has ever seen a Thursday in the Tucson desert, but Molinari seemed to have more momentum following an eagle on the 20th hole.
BEN HOGAN BRACKET
No. 1 Martin Kaymer vs. No. 8 David Toms
Winner: Kaymer
The lowdown: This event brings out the best in Toms but last year’s runner-up cruised to victory on Day 1 and seems to be finding his form following a quiet few months.
No. 4 Matt Kuchar vs. No. 5 Bubba Watson
Winner: Kuchar
The lowdown: The Match Play is described as a collection of final rounds and Kuchar’s final-round scoring average is 68.67, Watson’s is 70.25.
No. 2 Steve Stricker vs. No. 7 Louis Oosthuizen
Winner: Oosthuizen
The lowdown: Both players survived close Day 1 matches, but Oosthuizen seemed more in control with birdies at two of his last three holes.
No. 14 Y.E. Yang vs. No. 6 Hunter Mahan
Winner: Mahan
The lowdown: Mahan needed overtime to beat Zach Johnson and didn’t seem comfortable with his swing on Wednesday, but one of the game’s best ballsrikers won’t be off for long.
Watch live coverage of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Golf Channel, Thursday/Friday 2-6PM ET; Saturday noon-2PM ET; Sunday 8AM-1PM ET. NBC coverage can be seen live Saturday/Sunday, 2-6PM ET.