Mojo 6 Preview

Since this starts tomorrow but it isn't an official tournament and doesn't get televised for over two weeks, I decided at the last minute to write up a preview but not follow my usual "structured preview" format.

The Mojo 6 is an inaugural event being played at Montego Bay, Jamaica on the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course at Rose Hall.  The tournament will be conducted over two days under the so-called Raceway Format. 16 players are paired up - the number one seed picks her opponent, number two picks hers, etc. - and they play the first six holes on Day One.  Each hole is worth one point (halved holes give each player half a point) and the player who earns the most points in each match gets an extra point.  I assume if each player in a match earns three points the extra point is not awarded, although the rules link above doesn't specify that.  Another unique feature of the event is that only six holes of the Cinnamon Hill course will be used - those same six holes (two par-3s, three par-4s and one par-5) will be played for every segment.  The players are re-paired for the second segment, with the player currently in the lead getting the first choice of opponent.  That process is then repeated for the third segment and the top eight in points at the end of the day advance to the next round.  Extra holes will be played to break any ties for eighth place.  On Day Two, the eight players are seeded by points in straight match play competition.  The first six holes will cut the field to four, the middle six will cut it to two and the last six will determine the champion.  If any Day Two matches are tied after six holes, the players will return to Hole 1 to start sudden-death.

The field is by invitation and features 12 players from the top 30 of my most recent rankings.  The four exceptions are Christina Kim (like you have to ask why she is here!), rookies Amanda Blumenherst and Beatriz Recari (the winner of the online voting contest) and amateur Mariah Stackhouse.  Stars abound, such as Suzann Pettersen (the #1 seed who naturally chose to play Stackhouse for the first six holes), Cristie Kerr, Yani Tseng, Angela Stanford, Anna Nordqvist and Song-Hee Kim.  The opening pairings look like this:

Sophie Gustafson - Amanda Blumenherst

Song-Hee Kim - Morgan Pressel

Na Yeon Choi - Brittany Lang

Anna Nordqvist - Kristy McPherson

Yani Tseng - Brittany Lincicome

Cristie Kerr - Beatriz Recari

Suzann Pettersen - Mariah Stackhouse

Angela Stanford - Christina Kim

If you like match play - and I do - this should feel like Match Play on Speed.  With only six holes to score points (and on Day Two, to knock out your opponent), it should be a fun, fast show.  With only one par-5, two par-3s and a short par-4 at #3, the layout seems to aid the short hitter.  Until we hear about the rough and the greens, that perception will have to do.  I won't be making any specific predictions - the unknown course and format prevent me from attempting that - but I would figure from recent performances that the winner would come from the group of Pettersen, Tseng, Kerr and Song-Hee Kim.

The Mojo 6 will be televised by CBS on May 1 and 2.