Thirty-two players began the day, but once again too much of
the talk, in and out of the Media Center, was about Tiger.
Here's the report. At precisely 11 a.m., exactly an hour and two minutes before his match with South African Tim Clark, Woods made his way to the practice range. A huge roar ensued, and then more and more and more people rushed to the area to see the World's No. 1 player warm up.
Methodically, Woods hit various clubs and shots before heading over to the 1st Tee with a thousand of his closet friends.
While the warm up was in progress, I asked seven people if they classified themselves as a "Golf Fan" or a "Tiger Fan". Keep in mind all of these people were figuratively, breaking their necks to see him on the range.
Only one, Gilbert Parra of Tucson, was a disciple of Eldrick. "I'm here to watch Tiger! This is a once in a lifetime thing and I spent a lot of money to do this." Parra's guest was his son, 12 year old Robert. "I want my son to see greatness and he can remember this for the rest of his life."
The Parras must have been sad as what they will remember is
Woods going down to Clark 4 and 2.
Woods played fine on the front nine and the match was all square heading to the back. From that point on Clark took control of the match and after 13, held a commanding 3 Up lead.
On 14, Woods holed a sand shot for a birdie that cut Clark's lead to 2 Up. The shot had TV commentators, fellow media members and most of the 14,120 fans in attendance hoping for a comeback, but Woods sent his tee shot out of bounds on 15 and could only halve the hole.
Now dormie at 16, Clark hit a wonderful iron shot to about 10 feet while Woods could not even hit the green. Woods then hit his birdie chip short and conceded the match.
Clark was nonchalant after the match. "It's just the 2nd round," he said. He later admitted, "Obviously, it's a massive victory. I've played with Tiger a few times and you either let it get the best of you or you thrive on it."
Well Mr. Clark, you certainly did succeed today.
With Luke Donald besting Vijay Singh in 19 holes, there are no more No. 1 seeds left in the field. The highest seeded remaining players are Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy, both two seeds.
Mickelson defeated fellow American and good friend, Zach Johnson 1 Up. Just like in Round 1, Phil could have ended the match earlier but his opponent came on late to extend the match.
"He doesn't make any mistakes and he's an incredible putter
so I was fortunate to get a hold of a victory," said Mickelson. Mickelson advances to tomorrow's Round of 16
for the first time since 2006.
Ogilvy, of Scottsdale, Arizona by way of Australia, defeated Japan's Shingo Katayma in an entertaining, 19-hole match
Ogilvy, the 2006 Accenture Match Play Champion, barely avoided being upset as Katayama struggled to close him out. Katayma was 2 Up with three to go but had to concede three holes (the 16th, 18th and 19th) to Ogilvy after several trips to the Marana desert. The gritty win improved Ogilvy's record to an outstanding13-2.
Notes:
- Today's temperatures were in the low to mid-80s, but winds reached 10-15 mph with some higher gusts. Winter is rough in Arizona
- The projected economic impact of the Accenture World Match Play Championship is estimated to be $35-50 million dollars. This is quite a sizeable amount in relation to the relative size of the event.
- It's common
knowledge that the best golfers are in town, but since the much-anticipated Ritz-Carlton
Resort is not yet complete, where do they stay?
One answer is the Omni Tucson National Resort where my sources informed me that 20-25 Tour Pros were checked in.
It's a great choice because the Omni has it all - a picturesque location in the foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina Mountains, two championship golf courses, incredible guest service, an award-winning spa and more.
Recently selected by Golf Digest as Best Places to Play 2008-09 and one of the "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America," this 650-acre desert resort with 129 guestrooms is truly one of Tucson's finest spa and golf resorts.
The Omni Tucson National Resort is conveniently located 15 minutes south from Dove Mountain, The Accenture Match Play site, 20 minutes from Tucson International Airport and 90 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. For more information call 520-297-2271 or visit www.omnihotels.com