With several big names making early exits at last week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, many fantasy participants saw their brackets ruined before the weekend even began. For Andrew Massa, however, the events at Dove Mountain played out just as he predicted.
Massa, 20, was the winner of Golf Channel’s Bracket Challenge, correctly predicting that Matt Kuchar would defeat Hunter Mahan in the final match. Massa also had Ian Poulter in the semifinals, his only error in that round being his choice of Zach Johnson from the Jones Bracket instead of Jason Day.
‘I’ve done brackets before, but definitely not as good as this one,’ said Massa, who is currently a student at Southeastern Louisiana University. As the contest winner, he will receive a trip for two to next year’s event in Marana, Ariz.
Massa says that he doesn’t participate in fantasy golf on a weekly basis, submitting picks only ‘every now and then.’ In addition to predicting the exact outcome of the final match, he also foretold the quarterfinal runs of both Steve Stricker and Graeme McDowell.
Despite the accuracy of his picks, Massa wasn’t able to tune in to event coverage until the tournament was nearly over.
‘I tried to watch over the weekend, but stuff kept popping up,’ he added. ‘Once I checked the bracket and saw who was in the finals, I made sure to watch the whole final match.’
Hoping to build upon the momentum of his winning bracket, Massa has already submitted fantasy picks for The Honda Classic this week. His choice from Group 1: Charl Schwartzel.