MARANA, Ariz. -- Its easy to love the format at the Match Play Championship on Tuesday. Opinions can change quickly Wednesday on the way out the door. Thomas Bjorn flew halfway around the world to La Costa in 2005 just to play 13 holes. He took the next year off with a neck injury, then came all the way to Arizona in 2007 and again lasted only 13 holes. Tiger Woods won three times. And then there was the year he lost to Peter OMalley in the opening round, walking from the 17th green all the way to the clubhouse at La Costa with an army of reporters walking behind him, no one saying a word. There is no such thing as an upset in Match Play. That doesnt mean there arent 16 guys who are plenty upset when they lose in the first round. They call Ernie Els the "Big Easy." They might as well call him "Heisman" when he loses on Wednesday and sees a reporter approaching. The do-or-die nature of Match Play is what makes it so compelling to fans -- and so maddening to sponsors and fans. This tournament operates in reverse. Any other event, the drama builds toward the back nine on Sunday. Wednesday is one of the most exciting days in golf at Match Play. Thursday is not far behind. Friday is pretty good, too. On Sunday, there are only two possibilities -- one guy wins, one guy loses, and its like that for four hours. Now might be the best time for a change. Accenture is in the final year of a title sponsor. This most likely will be the final year at Dove Mountain. With the never-ending, globe-trotting nature of the golf schedule, theres not even a guarantee the Match Play Championship will be at the end of the West Coast Swing on the PGA Tour. As one top tour official said, the future of this World Golf Championship is wide open. The tour is talking to one potential title sponsor, and so much would depend on that. Its not as simple as finding a great golf course to host 64 of the worlds best players. The modern era of professional golf is about entertainment, and that includes a company that pays some $10 million a year to entertain clients. There was chatter about Harding Park, but it was nothing more than that, especially after one potential sponsor was not interested. Colombia is at least in the conversation -- the country in South America, not the golf club that hosted the 1921 U.S. Open outside the nations capital. Of more interest is the format. Woods gets all the attention, and rightly so, as the player everyone hates to see leave on Wednesday. That has happened three times (though he didnt leave until Thursday last year because the first round was postponed by snow). And it doesnt help when he has company -- three of the top four seeds lost in the first round last year. The European Tour has a blueprint for its World Match Play Championship -- four groups of four players, each playing 18-hole matches, and then players advancing out of those groups. But thats only 16 players. This WGC has 64 players. But if the tournament can move to a 36-hole complex, then there are more options. Its not about the course in match play. Youre only trying to beat your opponent. "You can have lots of fun with it," two-time winner Geoff Ogilvy said. "The format can be better, dont you think? Some guys are there for three hours and you go home. You can see why some guys dont want to go. Ive been 5-under on the 14th hole and shaking hands. Youre driving home saying, How fair is that? I beat 30 of these guys and Im going home." Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els raised the idea of 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying, with the top 32 players advancing to match play. Thats how the U.S. Amateur works (it uses two courses). That would keep players around for at least three days, and eliminate some of the luck factor. "I see nothing wrong with that," McIlroy said. Lee Westwood is among those -- and its a longer list than some might realize -- who like it the way it is. His one beef is the consolation match for third- and fourth-place. The difference is $120,000, along with world ranking points (both important in a Ryder Cup year). But as Westwood points out, the points and money is easily split. No one cares about the consolation match. It just gives TV something to show between shots of the championship match. One year, the consolation match was moving so slowly that it actually held up the main event. Woods has lost in every round except the semifinals. Imagine him on the golf course Sunday playing for the third place. Who are the fans following? Who is TV showing? We wont find out this year. Woods isnt around, and Dove Mountain plays no small part. Woods only saw the weekend one time in Arizona, and that was the year he won. He wont have to worry about that next year as the Match Play is sure to move -- at least off the mountain. As far as changing the format? That would be assuming its actually broken. "If you get defeated, you should be packing your bags and going home," Poulter said. "Thats how Ive always known match play, rather than a round-robin affair where you get a couple of bites of the cherry. The loser should go home. I think its perfect. I think its a great format." He plays the opening match Wednesday against Rickie Fowler. Athletics Jerseys China . McCutchen was cut before the series opener against Seattle on Monday night, when Lewis was set for his first start for Texas since July 18, 2012. Texas selected Lewis contract from Triple-A Round Rock. Athletics Jerseys 2019 . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/. Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. Oakland Athletics Gear . Still, its a start. Josh Baileys goal with 1:40 left capped a furious third-period rally, and the Islanders edged the Penguins 4-3 on Friday night. Wholesale Athletics Jerseys . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Victor Oladipo put the exclamation point on an Orlando Magic upset win with a highlight-reel 360-degree dunk in the final minute. It also put the finishing touches on a great all-around performance from the blossoming second-year guard. Oladipo finished with 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Magic beat the Houston Rockets 120-113 on Wednesday night. Nik Vucevic posted 25 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie point guard Elfrid Payton added 15 points, six boards and four assists for the Magic, who have won back-to-back games on the heels of a six-game losing streak. James Harden had 26 points, 10 assists and five steals for Houston, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Dwight Howard supplied 23 points and eight boards against his former team Howard had been averaging 24.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in four prior meetings against Orlando since being traded by the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2012. A Trevor Ariza 3-pointer and a short Donatas Motiejunas jumper on consecutive Houston possessions staked it tto a 107-104 advantage with 2:42 left, but Orlando ripped off the next seven points.dddddddddddd. A pair of Payton layups preceded a Channing Frye triple as Orlando established a 111-107 cushion with 1:20 remaining. Harden found Motiejunas at the other end for a layup before a Vucevic 3-point play and Oladipos emphatic slam sealed the outcome. Earlier, Frye nailed two treys and the Magic raced off to an 11-2 start. Orlando led 29-19 following a quarter of play, but Houston used a 13-4 run to begin the second and claw within 33-32. Patrick Beverley hit a triple in the waning seconds of the opening half to get the Rockets within 55-52 heading into the break. Hardens layup in the final minute of the third quarter helped Houston go into the final frame with an 85-84 edge. Game Notes Orlandos Tobias Harris missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury ... The Rockets fell to 11-4 against Eastern Conference opponents, including 6-2 on the road ... Houston dropped to 19-4 when Harden scores at least 25 points ... Orlando netted 26 points off 21 Houston turnovers. ' ' '