Smarting Woods completes record 9&8 win over Ames

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

CARLSBAD, California (Reuters) – Tiger Woods inflicted the
heaviest defeat in WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
history with a 9&8 victory over Canada’s Stephen Ames in
Wednesday’s opening round.

The world number one, fired by comments made by Ames the
previous day and also by a six-birdie start, sealed his 22nd
win in 26 matches at the event with a regulation par at the
10th hole.

His victory margin eclipsed the previous mark of 7&6
achieved by six players, including himself when he beat
Australia’s Stephen Leaney in the third round in 2003.

“I hit the ball really well today, basically it was an
extension of (practice) yesterday,” twice champion Woods told
reporters.

“You just have to bear down and put as much pressure on
your opponent as you can. In match play, it’s a sprint. It’s
only 18 holes.”

Woods, who reached the turn in a sizzling seven-under-par
29, admitted he had been stung by comments made by Ames about
the accuracy of his driving.

Asked whether he felt the comments were disrespectful,
Woods replied: “It’s fair comment. I just don’t do it.”

After further questioning, Woods described his reaction
quite simply as: “9&8.”

Ames had said about his match with the game’s leading
player: “Anything can happen, especially when he’s hitting the
ball.”

RED-HOT RUN

Back in action after withdrawing from the Nissan Open four
days ago because of flu, twice champion Woods launched his
red-hot run by hitting a superb approach to just five feet at
the par-four first.

He rolled in a 17-footer at the par-three second, reached
the green in two at the par-five third and coolly sank a
12-footer on four to tighten his grip on the match at a
sun-drenched La Costa Resort and Spa.

Woods then struck his tee shot at the par-three fifth to
within three feet of the flag before making an eight-footer at
the par-four sixth to secure his sixth birdie of the day.

Ames, the world number 68, went seven down after
three-putting from 40 feet to bogey the par-four seventh and
Woods stretched his lead to eight when he chipped to three feet
at the par-five eighth.

A late addition to this week’s field after the withdrawal
on Monday of Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn because of a sore neck,
Ames dropped his third shot of the day at the par-four ninth
after missing the green to the right with his approach.

Champion in 2003 and 2004, Woods has an excellent record in
the opening World Golf Championships (WGC) event of the year.
He also reached the final in 2000, when he lost to Britain’s
Darren Clarke 4&3.

Woods is bidding to claim his third title in four starts
this year.

The 10-times major winner triumphed at the Buick
Invitational in San Diego in late January before clinching the
European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic the following week.