Jason Day is raring to start his quest for a third World Golf Championships-Match Play title one year after an emotional withdrawal from his pet event.
Day arrived at the 2017 edition as defending champion but forfeited six holes into his opening match at Austin Country Club.
Minutes later, the Queenslander called a tearful press conference where he revealed mother Dening had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
With his first three starts of 2018 featuring a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach, Day has been seeded eighth at the elite 64-man event.
He will face Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Dufner and James Hahn in pool matches.
Day will no doubt draw on the memories of defeating Oosthuizen 5 and-4 in the 2016 WGC-Match Play final.
"I'm really looking forward to coming up against Louis again," Day told AAP.
"We had a lot of fun in the 2016 final and we're Presidents Cup teammates.
"It's going to be a tough group and I'm going to have to play three really good matches."
Day, who also won the 2014 edition in extra holes, says he loves the head-to-head combat of match play - where his ranking as the US Tour's No.1 putter is a valued weapon.
"Kicking someone's butt is great, but the most enjoyable thing about match play is coming down the stretch and having to stand up and hit a clutch putt," Day said.
"That is where I get the biggest rush, because in match play there's stress over every putt and I thrive on that.
"Match play is one of my favourite formats, I absolutely love playing it and I look forward to this event every year.
"It's the easiest and the hardest tournament to win; yes it's long and you're playing tough matches against good players but there are only seven guys you have to beat to hold up the trophy."
Fellow Australian Marc Leishman, also a top-16 seed, has drawn South Africa's Branden Grace as well as two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson and American Julian Suri.
Brisbane native Cameron Smith will be pitted against Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay and Matsuyama's countryman Yusaku Miyazato.
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