Predictions: Match Play, Subsequent Rounds

Of course, all picks contingent on accuracy of Round 1 picks.

* Steve Stricker v. Ryo Ishikawa. Stricker wins another quick one.
* Robert Karlsson v. Ross Fisher. If anything, I’ll be overestimating, rather than underestimating, Fisher this year. He wins this one, too.
* Padraig Harrington v. Matt Kuchar. I don’t like Padraig’s game right now, plain and simple. Kuchar wins.
* Ian Poulter v. Angel Cabrera. Cabrera only won the first one because he was playing Adam Scott. Poulter gets an easy win here.

* Lee Westwood v. Nick Watney. Another one that’s over quickly. Westwood wins again.
* Ernie Els v. Retief Goosen. In the battle of the South Africans, the Big Easy moves on.
* Henrik Stenson v. Y.E. Yang. Stenson handles the PGA Champ pretty easily.
* Geoff Ogilvy v. Dustin Johnson. This would be a fun match to watch. Ogilvy’s tough to beat, though; he moves on.

* Martin Kaymer v. Tim Clark. Clark continues marching over “better” seeds and marching on to the next round.
* David Toms v. Lucas Glover. Toms’s experience gives him the nod over the U.S. Open Champ in this one.
* Rory McIlroy v. Oliver Wilson. Another one that would be fun to watch. McIlroy’s a better player most days, but his back issues are a slight concern. Wilson’s also better than he’s often given credit for, and he gets the upset here.
* Robert Allenby v. Graeme McDowell. Neither one are shining stars with the flat stick lately. But in match-play situations, McDowell’s putting shows more of a resurrection than Allenby’s. GMac’s moving on.

* Scott Verplank v. Hunter Mahan. Can Verplank score two upsets in a row? Yes, he can.
* Sean O’Hair v. Stewart Cink. The rest of the 2009 major champions are out, but Cink makes it through the second round.
* Paul Casey v. Mike Weir. Casey will overpower Weir for a relatively easy win.
* Kenny Perry v. Zach Johnson. Could be a very close match. I’m giving the nod to Zach.

Round 3:

* Steve Stricker v. Ross Fisher. If you’ve noticed a pattern, you probably won’t be surprised that I’m picking Fisher in this one.
* Matt Kuchar v. Ian Poulter. Honestly, a mismatch. Poulter wins an easy one.
* Lee Westwood v. Ernie Els. Westwood is new to the third round. He’ll be new to the fourth round as well, as he advances.
* Henrik Stenson v. Geoff Ogilvy. Ogilvy is going to be tough to stop, and Stenson’s not the one to do it.
* Tim Clark v. David Toms. Clark is also going to be tough to knock out. Toms isn’t the one to do it.
* Oliver Wilson v. Graeme McDowell. Another clash of former Ryder Cup teammates. Wilson is the better all-around player, and he gets the win here.
* Scott Verplank v. Stewart Cink. Can Verplank get three upsets in a row? Yes, he can.
* Paul Casey v. Zach Johnson. Casey does the same to Zach as he did to Mike Weir, and moves on.

Round 4:

* Ross Fisher v. Ian Poulter. Clash of the World Cup teammates. If you guessed that I’m picking Fisher, you’re right.
* Lee Westwood v. Geoff Ogilvy. Another tough match. Ogilvy emerges victorious at the end.
* Tim Clark v. Oliver Wilson. Clark has already handled the #1 seed in his bracket. Getting the win here should be easier.
* Scott Verplank v. Paul Casey. Can Verplank pull yet another upset? No, the run ends here; Casey gets the win.

Final 4:
* Ross Fisher v. Tim Clark. Clark’s upset run ends here. Fisher gets the win.
* Geoff Ogilvy v. Paul Casey. One of the best matches of the tournament. Ogilvy wins, though this one’s likely to go extra holes.

Consolation match:
Paul Casey v. Tim Clark. Casey has the game to overpower Clark, and that’s just what he does.

Final:
Ross Fisher v. Geoff Ogilvy. If it comes down to these two at the end, it almost certainly will go into overtime. I’m going to call for the upset and say that Fisher wins it all.