2013 Accenture Match Play Championship to Continue Tradition of Attracting One of Golf’s Strongest Fields When 64 of the World’s Best Tee it up Feb 20-24

“Follow the Leaders Program” to Again Allow Sunday Gallery to Experience the Crowd, View the Greens From Players’ Perspective

MARANA, Ariz. – From the first tee shot to the final putt, millions of golf fans in more than 224 countries will follow the 2013 World Golf Championships (WGC)-Accenture Match Play Championship with great interest when 64 of the world’s best players tee it up Feb. 20 – 24. Unlike any other TOUR event, for five intensive days of match play these elite golfers will square off in head-to-head, single-elimination competition at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, in Marana, Ariz., just north of Tucson, marking one of the most exciting weeks of the year in golf.

As the only official match-play event on the PGA TOUR schedule, the prestigious Accenture Match Play Championship is the cornerstone event of the World Golf Championships providing one of golf’s most exacting examinations, testing the skill and nerves of these elite players. First played in 1999, it traditionally attracts one of the strongest fields in golf, and it also serves as the first WGC tournament of the season in a series of four global golf tournaments.

“Match play is a head-to-head competition that mirrors the global business environment that we and our clients must compete in every day,” said Accenture chief marketing & communications officer, Roxanne Taylor. “We believe there is great synergy between the tournament and the mission of Accenture, which is to help our clients also achieve high performance.”

The rules of engagement for single-elimination match play are clear and simple: win or go home. Unlike stroke play, which adds up all strokes from multiple days of play to produce a winner, match play is a hole-by-hole format that rigorously tests a golfer’s skill, strategy and nerves. Players will match each other shot for shot and hole for hole on the 7,833-yard, par-72 course, culminating in a championship match on Sunday, February 24.

The winner will take home US$1.4 million of a total prize purse of US$8.5 million, as well as the sought-after Walter Hagen Cup, named for golf’s greatest match-play competitor.

The Accenture Match Play Championship is further distinguished by four 16-player brackets. The 64 players are divided into four brackets, each named in honor of one of golf’s greatest players: Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Players in each of the brackets are seeded No. 1 through No. 16, with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 16 seed in the first round, No. 2 pairing off with No. 15, No. 3 meeting No. 14, and so forth.

The Accenture Match Play Championship will once again feature “Follow the Leaders,” a program that allows fans to follow the players down each fairway during the Championship Match until the 2013 champion is decided. In addition to walking the fairways, “Follow the Leaders” will also give fans the unique opportunity to experience the crowd and view the greens from a player’s perspective. All Sunday ticket holders will be invited to “Follow the Leaders” at the Accenture Match Play Championship.

The Accenture Match Play Championship will be telecast live for a total of 29 hours over the five days of the tournament and can be seen on television in 224 countries. In the United States, Golf Channel opens Tournament Week by airing five hours of highlights from the 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship event Tuesday, Feb.19 from 8:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m. with a replay 12:00 a.m.–12:30 a.m. and will wrap up the week with an additional four-hour highlights program of the 2013 Accenture Match Play event Monday, Feb. 25 from 2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Golf Channel will air 21 hours of live coverage beginning Wednesday, Feb. 20, 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 21, 1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 22, 2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.; (with replays from 7:30 p.m.–1:30 a.m. on Wednesday; 6:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.–5:30 a.m. on Thursday; 6:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.–5:30 a.m. on Friday; 6:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.– 3:00 a.m. on Saturday; 7:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.–3:00 a.m. on Sunday; 7:00 p.m.– 11:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.–3:00 a.m.) and two hours of live coverage on Saturday, Feb. 23, 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m., followed by four hours of live coverage Sunday, Feb. 24, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

NBC will provide eight hours of weekend coverage, on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb 24 from 2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. All times are Eastern Standard (EST).

About The Accenture Match Play Championship
This year marks the 15th playing of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The Accenture Match Play Championship has been played in the Tucson area since 2007 and at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain since 2009. Since moving to the area the Accenture Match Play Championship tournament has raised more than $8.8 million in supporting local charitable organizations working with the PGA TOUR, the Tucson Conquistadores and the Tucson and Marana communities.

The Accenture Match Play Championship is one of four World Golf Championships www.worldgolfchampionships.com sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the Cadillac Championship, Bridgestone Invitational and HSBC Champions. Accenture is the longest running continuous sponsor of the World Golf Championships.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 259,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com.