Golf Central

Errm, we're not going to say we're surprised to see the Big Cat on the first tee for Sunday's final, but let's just say we're relieved. Instead of that Rod Pampling v. Shingo Katayama clash, the world's No. 1 made it through some real scraps to arrive on Sunday, and that audible whooshing sound you can hear is the collective sigh of relief of TV executives ...

For the record, after our stunning 22-for-32 success rate in predicting the first-round matches, we stumbled to 4-for-15 in the second round before settling back to 50-50. In the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, we've correctly picked 6 of 12 matches. So, not so great, but hey, we're In Golf We Trust, so here are our final-day picks ...

Sunday's 36-hole final:

Tiger Woods v. Stewart Cink: If Tiger survives the challenge with the Bald Eagle, it will be his third title in nine trips to this event, his 63rd overall on the PGA Tour, his 15th in the WGC series, and fifth win in a row in "official" events. And if Tiger notches another "W", as he so likes to say, the word "streak" is going to be printed thousands of times in every golf publication you see, including this one you love so much (we'll try to avoid it as much as possible, dear readers, but it is pretty much unavoidable). Standing in the way of Tiger climbing one step farther up the ladder is the steady, solid Cink, a US Ryder Cup anchor who hasn't won on tour since 2004, 85 starts in the past.

IGWT pick: The Bald Eagle plays with reckless abandon, making this match closer than it should be. And Tiger still isn't always sure where his drives are going, which brings the match closer still. But it should be a comfortable victory for the man in red, and it should end before the 36th hole.

Sunday's third-place match:

Henrik Stenson v. Justin Leonard: Mercifully for Stenson, the consolation match is just an 18-holer, and if he sees off Leonard he'll have some kind of record in this event: a first-place and a third. Not quite as spectacular as Woods, who is gunning for win No. 3, or Geoff Ogilvy, who has a win and a runner-up, but pretty darn solid. Leonard would like to cement his place in Paul Azinger's plans for the Ryder Cup, so third-place actually matters in an attractive sidelight to the main event.

IGWT pick: Stenson's howitzer salvoes overpower the peashooter of Leonard on a mad bomber's course.

We all know you're disappointed to have missed that Rod Pampling v. Shingo Katayama final (or Tiger vs. Lefty for that matter), but enjoy. Once again, the WGC Match Play has proven to be the refreshing taster to the Masters ... 'Til tomorrow, and 10 Things We've Learned About Golf this week! ...