Luke Donald faces Ernie Els in WGC-Accenture Match Play

World number one Luke Donald plays South Africa's Ernie Els in the opening round of this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona.

The Big Easy, ranked number 65 in the world, secured a place in the elite 64-strong field thanks to Phil Mickelson's decision to miss the Dove Mountain tournament, in favour of spending time with his family.

Els concedes that it will be a "tough match" against the defending champion and that this tournament is not his favourite event.

In fact, a semi-final appearance in Australia 11 years ago was his best performance in the five-day match play golf tournament.

"Being the last guy in, you've got to play the first seeds, which is Luke Donald. And it's a tough match, like all matches here," explained Els.

The WGC-Accenture Match Play is contested over five days with the top 64 players in the world split into four "brackets".

Donald leads the Bobby Jones bracket, while Rory McIlroy is the top ranked golfer in the Gary Player bracket.

The Ulsterman faces South Africa's George Coetzee, who made the field after Paul Casey withdrew because of a shoulder injury.

Martin Kaymer of Germany leads out the Ben Hogan bracket against Australia's Greg Chalmers, while Lee Westwood is the top ranked player in the Sam Snead bracket and faces Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts in the first round.

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