Either Magee or Maggert will have match of their career

Suffice it to say that either Andrew Magee or Jeff Maggert will have a career day Sunday when they face off in the 36-hole championship match of the $5 Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship.

Neither has won a tournament since 1994, and the winner will walk off with a $1 million cheque.

Magee has just four PGA Tour wins, his last coming in the 1994 Northern Telecom Open. Maggert has just one, the 1993 Walt Disney World-Oldsmobile Classic.

The big deal about the Match Play Championship, besides bringing together 64 of the world's best golfers, is the $5 million purse and $1 million winner's cut.

"I like money," Magee said after beating John Huston 3 and 1 in the semifinals Saturday. "Money's a motivating factor in this tournament. It's a big deal.

"I'm sure it's going to make all the other guys who didn't qualify very upset that Jeff and I are just passing everybody on the money list with this match play event."

The $1 million first-place prize will be more than Magee or Maggert have made in a single season on tour. Last year was the best for both, as Maggert made $992,964 to finish 27th on the money list and Magee made $964,302 to finish 30th.

Even if Magee has to settle for the second-place check of $500,000, he'll still jump from 109th on the money list all the way up near the top 10. He's made only $33,947 in four tournaments this year, having twice missed the cut.

Maggert, who beat Steve Pate 1-up in the other semi, is currently 17th on the money list with $296,060.

Maggert didn't seem nearly as jazzed about the million bucks as Magee did.

"It's really insignificant," Maggert said. ``I want the victory more than putting a few more dollars in my bank account."

B-SIDE PLAYERS: So Sunday's championship match won't feature a Tiger Woods, David Duval or Ernie Els, or anyone higher than 23 on the world ranking list for that matter.

Magee and Maggert said it didn't bother them that everyone, including ABC-TV, was expecting a marquee matchup.

"Well, weren't you guys? Come on," Maggert said in his post-match news conference.

It was Maggert, by the way, who eliminated Woods in Friday's quarterfinals, winning 2 and 1.

"That's just a fact of sports in general," Maggert said. ``People want to write about the Chicago Bulls. They don't want to, pardon the LA Clipper fans ... that's just the way professional sports are. Whether it's basketball or football or golf, it's the superstars in the game that make it such a great game.

"But we have very competitive sport. Our sport is unlike other sports, where the 50th or 60th best player is really not that far from being No. 1. In any given day or any given week, you can be the best player in the world. I think everyone has witnessed that this week."

Magee, who considers himself just a regular guy, said he doubted his status would change even if he won.

"I don't think we really care," Magee said. ``We look at Tiger's life and it's difficult. He can't go out at night, he can't do anything without someone bugging him because of all the press he's gotten. I enjoy my life. I enjoy being a little bit obscure out there. No one really recognises me when I go out, even in my hometown of Phoenix. That's nice. I don't think I'd trade that for anything."

CONSOLATION MATCH: Pate and Houston will play an 18-hole consolation match Sunday, with $400,000 going to the winner and $300,000 to the loser.

SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE: The championship match will be contested over 36 holes, with the first 18 scheduled to start at 10:20 a.m. EST. The consolation match will begin at 2:20 p.m., followed by the second 18 of the championship match at 2:29 p.m.

FASHION CAPTAIN: On Friday, Magee said he was measuring his success by having to iron a shirt every night in advance of the next day's match. On Saturday morning, he had to go out and buy socks.

"Ten bucks, baby. I didn't expect to be here," he said. ``I packed for the Nissan Open and I packed for, you know, maybe getting halfway through this week and I was going to go home and have a nice weekend off. But I have to play now. I'm thrilled about it."

He also picked up a pair of socks for Sunday. "At that price, I didn't even ask for a discount."

The scouting report: "They are not that good of socks. They are not like anything sporty. They are kind of formal."