"Seventy-two holes of strokeplay, we have that one after the other. You need an alternative.''

Thanks to reader Matthew for Martin Blake's story on Jean Van de Velde, who is one of the uh, headliners, at this week's Surf Coast Knockout. You may recall this is the event aimed at bringing to golf a version of Twenty20 cricket by featuring a Sunday shootout of 32 players playing six hole matches until there's a winner. Hopefully our friends in Ponte Vedra are monitoring this event.

The Surf Coast Knockout is an experimental tournament first proposed by Andrew Langford-Jones, the PGA Tour's tournaments director, who believes there is a need for a more racy format than the customary four rounds of strokeplay. While many people have compared it with Twenty20 cricket, Leembruggen dislikes the notion.

''We're still playing under the R and A [Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews] rules and the only thing we've changed is the way we find closure,'' he said. ''Matchplay golf is a traditional way to play.''

When the top 32 players are found on Sunday, they will play six holes of matchplay, taking little more than an hour. ''You can't afford to make a mistake early, like you can in strokeplay,'' said Leembruggen. ''It's a more aggressive game in many ways. It'll suit the big-hitters and the younger guys.''

There was also this Aussie Golfer description which still leaves me a bit hazy on one element.

On Sunday the match play format will start with 16 matches starting at 10minute intervals played over 6 holes. the losers will be eliminated, the winners progressing to the next round. The match play format will continue until four players are left who will play the final two matches to determine the first, second, third and fourth placings.

Okay you have four, but how did you determine who is play for the trophy and who is playing the "other" match?