Dream team final one step closer

With match play there is no need for a player to scoreboard watch, so David Duval was astonished after finishing his match when he heard some of the other results on Wednesday.

"Did all those people lose today?" Duval asked after defeating Australia's Steven Leaney 2 and 1.

Many of the most formidable barriers to the dream finale of Duval versus Tiger Woods for the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship were taken down on Wednesday as six of the top 11 ranked players were eliminated.

Of course, match play remains unpredictable and there is no guarantee that the two men who have dominated the 1999 season will meet to prove which one is indeed number one.

Duval is uneasy with match play. It doesn't suit his game or his temperament.

"In this type format you only have to beat six people to win the golf tournament, which makes it easier to win, but at the same time you can very easily get ousted as well. I have worked so hard to get used to using 72 holes to win a golf tournament, and it takes some adjustment."

Woods, on the other hand, thrives on the head to head competition of match play. He compiled the best amateur record since Bobby Jones, winning an unprecedented three straight junior amateurs and three straight U.S. Amateurs, all decided in match play.

"Match play is my favourite format. It's the chance to put all of your skills up against one opponent. In most sports that's the way it works, one team against another. In golf it's usually one person against the rest of the 155 players," said Woods.

Woods has to get past Bob Tway on Thursday and then three more matches before the finals, while Duval must take care of Bill Glasson first.

On the prospect of facing Woods in the finals on Sunday, Duval was philosophical about the entertainment value. "I don't think it's going to be as good as a Tyson fight."

Certainly there will be less blood shed, but the sport of golf hasn't had a great rivalry since the days of Nicklaus and Watson, and to have Woods and Duval meet and compete over a 36-hole final would, for most golf fans, be even better than a Tyson fight.