Tiger Woods is in an interesting position today as he heads into the Accenture Match Play Championships. Come Sunday night, if everything falls his way, he could be back as world number one – without having won tournament prior to this weekend – in 18 months. Just to balance the outcome of this weekend, it’s conceivable he could slip to world number 8 as well.

This is one event that Woods has won three times in the past and match play really does suit his style of golf. Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer both lead Woods in world ranking, however, Westwood has played this tournament 10 times yet never made it beyond the second round. Phil Mickelson has never made it to the semi-finals while Kaymer has not been a regular player at this tournament.

Match play golf is played very much like a tennis tournament, with matches arranged between two golfers. The top 64 players in the world are seeded and a fixture drawn up according to those seedings. The tournament is a knock out event and, if all goes according to seeds, the final should be between the top two seeds – this weekend, that would be Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood.

If Westwood and Kaymer are eliminated early and Woods wins, then he will leap frog those two back into the world number one. Bookmakers have made Paul Casey the favourite at 14/1 with Woods second pick at 16/1. Kaymer and Rory McIlroy are both a shade longer than Woods while Westwood is back at 22/1. Phil Mickelson is at 25/1 while the rest of the field are 30/1 or longer.

Match play might just be what Woods needs right now. He has shown some glimpses of form recently, especially in Dubai where he put together three good rounds before he lost his swing on the last day. At 16/1, Woods is at really good betting odds and well worth following.