Match Play Madness

February/Match Play Madness begins today at Dove Mountain in Tucson for the start of the Accenture Match Play. It's one of my fave events of the year. (You would know that if you've been listening to the show for a while now.) But, the best part about this week is that this appears to also be one of the few weeks on the PGA Tour schedule when mainstream sports fans are excited about golf - save for the majors. It probably has something to do with contests and pools to pick who will win the title. It may have something to do with the highly unpredictable nature of the tournament. A 16 seed can really beat a 1 seed in this event.

Whatever the reason for the excitement, it is good for the game and there need to be more events that inspire this kind of enthusiasm. The International used to be one of those - until it was given a lousy date and hardly promoted at all. We need to get those kinds of events back. The PGA Tour is trying to create a schedule with the FedEx Cup that will have a marquee event each month and then have it surrounded by the points race. It is my hope that this approach will work a lot better toward inspiring more interest in the pro game. But, I'll hold out judgment until May to see if the new date for the Players Championship does anything for the best non-major event on Tour...or not.