Posted Feb 12th 2007, 9:43pm

Draw For WGC Matchplay Championship

Darren Clarke could face Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Casey in the first round of the WGC Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.


Ulsterman Clarke is the only European to lift win the title, when victorious 4&3 against two-time winner Tiger Woods in 2000, while Casey won last year's £1m Wentworth World Match Play.


The top-64 available players from the Official World Golf Ranking released on today, will qualify for this year's event which currently puts Clarke against Sergio Garcia.


But American Arron Oberholser may be forced to withdraw due to a bad back, meaning Clarke would play Casey.


If the American does pull out as expected it would also change Lee Westwood's pairing. He would face defending champion Geoff Ogilvy, instead of meeting European number one Padraig Harrington.


The domino-effect would mean that Harrington would take on American Ryder Cup player Zach Johnson instead.


It will be only the second time that the tournament will be held anywhere other than it's usual home of La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. The other time was when it was moved to the Metropolitan Golf Club in Victoria, Australia.


World number one, Woods will have a opening match against Brett Quigley or JJ Henry. He could face two Englishmen on the way to the final stages, in David Howell and the in-form Luke Donald, currently ranked 5th in the FedExCup standings.


Provisional draw (seeded positions in brackets):
(1) Tiger Woods v
(64) Brett Quigley or JJ Henry

(32) Tim Clark v
(33) Robert Allenby

(16) Nick O'Hern v
(49) Lucas Glover or Ben Crane

(17) David Howell v
(48) Rory Sabbatini or Lucas Glover

(8) Luke Donald v
(57) Miguel Angel Jimenez or John Rollins

(25) Shingo Katayama v
(40) Aaron Baddeley

(9) Henrik Stenson v
(56) Zach Johnson or MA Jimenez

(24) KJ Choi v
(41) Carl Pettersson

(4) Phil Mickelson v
(61) Bradley Dredge or Richard Green

(29) Michael Campbell v
(36) Justin Rose

(13) Sergio Garcia v
(52) Darren Clarke or Thomas Bjorn

(20) Stuart Appleby v
(45) Charles Howell

(5) Ernie Els v
(60) Charl Schwartzel or Bradley Dredge

(28) Ian Poulter v
(37) Bart Bryant

(12) Trevor Immelman v
(53) Thomas Bjorn or Steve Stricker

(21) Chris DiMarco v
(44) Brett Wetterich

(2) Jim Furyk v
(63) Shaun Micheel or Brett Quigley

(31) Angel Cabrera v
(34) Chad Campbell

(15) Davis Love v
(50) Ben Crane or Mike Weir

(18) David Toms v
(47) Arron Oberholser or Rory Sabbatini

(7) Vijay Singh v
(58) John Rollins or Scott Verplank

(26) Robert Karlsson v
(39) Stephen Ames

(10) Padraig Harrington v (55) Lee Westwood or Zach Johnson

(23) Stewart Cink v
(42) Jeev Milkha Singh

(3) Adam Scott v
(62) Richard Green or Shaun Micheel

(30) Yang Yong-eun v
(35) Rod Pampling

(14) Paul Casey v
(51) Mike Weir or Darren Clarke

(19) Colin Montgomerie v
(46) Johan Edfors

(6) Retief Goosen v
(59) Scott Verplank or Charl Schwartzel

(27) Joe Durant v
(38) Niclas Fasth

(11) Geoff Ogilvy v
(54) Steve Stricker or Lee Westwood

(22) Jose Maria Olazabal v (43) Paul Goydos