MARANA, Arizona |
MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - Tiger Woods's bid to return to winning ways was stopped short in its tracks when he was eliminated by Thomas Bjorn after 19 holes in Wednesday's first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
The American former world number one, a three-times champion at this event, came from two down after five holes to go one up after 12 before losing to the 65th-ranked Dane on the 19th green.
Trailing by one playing the par-four 18th, Woods coolly sank an eight-foot birdie putt there to keep the match alive after Bjorn failed to hole out from a greenside bunker.
However Woods pushed his drive at the first extra hole well right into desert scrub from where he needed two shots to get back out on to the fairway. He struck his fourth to 18 feet and missed the bogey putt before conceding the match to Bjorn.
The Dane, who was 12 feet away from the cup in three shots, will advance to Thursday's second round where he will take on twice winner Geoff Ogilvy of Australia.
"Disappointing, very disappointing," Woods told reporters after falling at the first hurdle for a second time at the Match Play. "I had a chance. I had all the momentum going down 18 and just gave it away.
"I was trying to hit a ball in play. The fairway is, what, 200 yards wide and I can't put the ball in the fairway. That's very disappointing."
Woods, a 14-times major champion, had been bidding for his first tournament victory in 15 months after struggling with his game and private life.
UPBEAT MOOD
He arrived at Dove Mountain in reasonably upbeat mood after working hard to regain form in practice over the last two weeks following his tie for 20th at the Dubai Desert Classic.
However, he ended up a disappointing level par on his own ball on Wednesday with a return of four birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey at the par-three third.
"Starting out today, not very good but then through the middle part of the round it was pretty darn good," Woods said of his control. "I was hitting every shot I wanted to hit.
"I got myself back in the ball game, took the lead. Two easy up-and-downs on the back nine I didn't make. The (nine-foot) putt at 17 I should make every time. I didn't do that.
"The ball I should have put in play on 19 and consequently I'm out of here."
Woods, who has not won a tournament since the 2009 Australian Masters, lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship in 2002 and went out in the second round in both 2005 and 2009.
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