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Tiger Avoids The Upset With Blitz On Back 9

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The Associated Press

Published: February 21, 2008

Updated: 02/20/2008 11:44 pm

MARANA, Ariz. - Tiger Woods was running out of holes, but not hope.

He had never fallen three holes behind and come back to win in match play as a professional, and his predicament looked particularly dire Wednesday when he took a penalty drop in the desert to lose another hole against J.B. Holmes with five to play.

What followed was a charge that had Woods pumping his fists and Holmes shaking his head.

"You're playing the best player in the world, 3 up with five to play," Holmes said. "I just said, 'Don't do anything stupid. Make him beat you.' And he did. What do you do?"

Woods won four straight holes with three birdies and a 35-footer for eagle to produce another stunning rally in the desert, this one allowing him to escape in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship.

The last time Woods played, he shot 31 on the back nine of the Dubai Desert Classic to rally from a four-shot deficit to win. In the high desert north of Tucson, he played the back nine in 30 for a 1-up victory.

"For some reason, momentum just goes your way," Woods said. "You just get on a run. Sometimes the run is early in the round, sometimes middle or late. It just so happened the last two rounds, it was late. But at least it happened today. At least I had a run. I wasn't playing good enough to win the match unless I had a run."

Fourth-seeded Ernie Els made a run to the airport, losing in the first round for the fourth straight time at this World Golf Championship. He shot 40 on the front nine to fall 6-down, and suffered his worst defeat in 15 matches, 6 and 5 to Jonathan Byrd.

The other top seeds advanced, but not by much.

Phil Mickelson, fresh off his victory at Riviera, withstood back-to-back birdie putts of 40 feet by Pat Perez by making a 4-foot par putt on the 18th for a 1-up victory. Steve Stricker defeated Daniel Chopra in 20 holes with an 8-footer for birdie.

Woods started his match by hitting a tee shot into the desert and out of bounds.

"One of the worst shots I've hit in a long time," Woods said.

It looked as though it might end early until a 15-foot birdie on the 14th hole, followed by a meaningless birdie putt from 18 feet on the 15th after Holmes' three-putt. Woods' foot slipped on his downswing at the par-3 16th, and he found a footprint in his line when he arrived on the green, but he rolled in a third straight birdie putt to square the match.

That led to the kind of theater this format always delivers, and Woods came through again.

Next up is Arron Oberholser, who is playing with an injured shoulder.

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