[Gateway]

Europe puts 18 players in tentative Match Play field
by DOUG FERGUSON, Associated Press
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland boosted Europe's strength by narrowly slipping into the top 65 in the world ranking Monday and qualifying for the Match Play Championship, where he could meet Tiger Woods in the first round.
The world ranking determines the 64-man field for the World Golf Championship, which begins Feb. 22 at La Costa Resort north of San Diego. Sergio Garcia, No. 6 in the world, has said he will not play.

WGC Accenture Match Play field 1. Tiger Woods, United States 2. Vijay Singh, Fiji 3. Retief Goosen, South Africa 4. Ernie Els, South Africa 5. Phil Mickelson, United States *6. Jim Furyk, United States 7. Chris DiMarco, United States 8. David Toms, United States 9. Adam Scott, Australia 10. Kenny Perry, United States 11. Colin Montgomerie, Scotland 12. David Howell, England 13. Michael Campbell, New Zealand 14. Luke Donald, England 15. Angel Cabrera, Argentina 16. Henrik Stenson, Sweden 17. Chad Campbell, United States 18. Padraig Harrington, Ireland 19. Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland 20. Nick O'Hern, Australia 21. Scott Verplank, United States 22. Paul McGinley, Ireland 23. Davis Love III, United States 24. Stuart Appleby, Australia 25. Jose Maria Olazabal, Spain 26. Tim Clark, South Africa 27. Thomas Bjorn, Denmark 28. Fred Couples, United States 29. Bart Bryant, United States 30. Stewart Cink, United States 31. Justin Leonard, United States 32. Rory Sabbatini, South Africa 33. Robert Allenby, Australia 34. K.J. Choi, South Korea 35. Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain 36. Ben Crane, United States 37. Mike Weir, Canada 38. John Daly, United States 39. Sean O'Hair, United States 40. Arron Oberholser, United States 41. Brandt Jobe, United States 42. Tom Lehman, United States 43. Mark Hensby, Australia 44. Shingo Katayama, Japan 45. Lee Westwood, England 46. Fred Funk, United States 47. Shigeki Maruyama, Japan 48. Rod Pampling, Australia 49. Tim Herron, United States 50. Paul Casey, England 51. Peter Lonard, Australia 52. Richard Green, Australia 53. Geoff Ogilvy, Australia 54. Steve Elkington, Australia 55. Niclas Fasth, Sweden 56. Carl Pettersson, Sweden 57. Lucas Glover, United States 58. Ian Poulter, England 59. Mark Calcavecchia, United States 60. Zach Johnson, United States 61. Charles Howell III, United States 62. Bernhard Langer, Germany 63. Paul Broadhurst, England 64. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland * No. 6 Sergio Garcia decided not to play. ** Field is not final until Feb. 20, players withdrawing will be replaced by alternates. (Craig Parry, Australia; Stephen Ames, Canada; Trevor Immelman, South Africa; Jesper Parnevik, Sweden; Nick Dougherty, England.)

McDowell gives Europe 18 players in the field, while the United States will have 25 players -- its lowest number since the Accenture Match Play Championship began in 1999. The field will not be set until 5 p.m. on Feb. 20, although the PGA Tour does not anticipate anyone else pulling out.
The top four seeds would be Woods, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els, who has skipped the tournament the last two years and has never advanced beyond the second round when it has been played at La Costa.
If no one withdraws, defending champion David Toms would face newcomer Lucas Glover in the first round. Other matches involving top seeds would be Singh against Paul Broadhurst of England; Goosen against former Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer; and Els against Charles Howell III.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman also made the field, and would face Davis Love III in the first round.
Last weekend was the final chance to get into the $7.5 million event, with the biggest move coming from Arron Oberholser. His five-shot victory at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am moved him up 40 spots to No. 41 in the world, scrapping his plans to move into a new house that week in Scottsdale, Ariz.
He would play Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain in the first round.
Ian Poulter of England, who reached the semifinals at La Costa a year ago, tied for sixth at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia and moved up eight spots to No. 59 to get into the field. He is scheduled to play Chris DiMarco, the runner-up at the Accenture Match Play Championship last year.
For Craig Parry, timing wasn't everything.
The Australian was holding down the 64th spot in the ranking last week, narrowly ahead of McDowell, and tied for 18th in the Johnnie Walker Classic while McDowell missed the cut at Pebble Beach. But Parry lost points from his victory in the Heineken Classic a year ago, and McDowell was able to pass him.