Garcia was four down with six to play to Australian Adam Scott, Poulter trailed South African Rory Sabbatini by two after 13 and Donald trailed Woods’ conqueror Nick O’Hern by two with seven to go.

Woods, winner the last two years and with another chance to regain the world number one spot from Singh again this week, had lost three and one to Australian left-hander O’Hern in the morning second round.

Singh, meanwhile, went down by the same margin to 51-year-old American Jay Haas and so in six attempts has still to progress beyond the second round of the event.

It made Phil Mickelson the new favourite for the title but he was two down after 10 holes to regular Ryder Cup partner David Toms.

O’Hern trailed Woods off the tee almost as much as Britain’s Gary Wolstenholme did in the 1995 Walker Cup at Porthcawl.

Wolstenholme won there, though, and O’Hern joined Jeff Maggert, Darren Clarke and Peter O’Malley in eliminating him from the match play.

Woods, never ahead, said: “He made all the putts he had to and I didn’t make any. That was the difference.

“Nick plods along. He is very solid and has an amazing short game.”

Padraig Harrington, seeded seventh, was another casualty before lunch, going down three and one to Sabbatini, and Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, David Howell and Miguel Angel Jimenez went out as well.

McDowell, having beaten fellow Ulsterman Clarke with a last-green birdie in the first round, lost on the final hole to Australian Robert Allenby after being two up early on, while Howell came from three down to all square with Adam Scott, but lost two and one.

Westwood suffered a record-equalling seven and six defeat to last year’s runner-up Davis Love.

The Worksop golfer said: “At least I have a few days at home with the family now before going to Dubai. Every cloud has a silver lining.

“I did not play well at all. For some reason I am not comfortable with my swing – I feel a little bit trapped on the way down – but the course suits Davis down to the ground.”

Westwood gave Love a helping hand on the opening two holes, going from rough into water at the first and then bunkering his tee shot to the short second.

But the American, runner-up to Woods last year, then moved into over-drive. After Westwood made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 575-yard third Love followed him in for a half from 15 feet and at the sixth produced a marvellous eagle two.

The tee had been moved forward 50 yards to tempt players to go for the green. Love accepted the challenge, hit his drive 305 yards to within 10 feet of the flag while Westwood found sand.

Love then birdied four of the next five holes to be seven under for 11 holes and a half at the next finished off his deflated opponent.

Harrington commented: “It is not often you walk off not too bothered about losing, but that’s the case. Rory deserved to win, no question about that.

“When you are not that competitive early in the season (it was only his second tournament) it is difficult to raise your game. I was struggling – stuck in first gear almost.”

The Dubliner did birdie two of the first three and was still two up after seven, but Sabbatini birdied four of the next five and turned things round.

McDowell told a similar story. “I fell victim to the momentum of match play,” he said. “Robert holed a bunker shot on the 14th (their fifth) and that turned it.

“I felt like everything I did was just not good enough.”

Poulter had crushed Australian Stuart Appleby six and five and, having eliminated Jim Furyk as well, was 13 under par for the two games.

After four successive birdies starting at the sixth he sank a 132-yard nine-iron to the 10th for an eagle two and then birdied the next.

“Holing that second shot obviously helped, but for the large majority of that round once again my game was flawless, incredible,” said the Milton Keynes golfer, a quarter-finalist on his debut last year.

“I looked away every time he was hitting his shots and just concentrated on making sure I hit the fairways. I feel good – I am rolling my putts in, which is obviously going to upset your opponent.

“That is what you have got to do as early as possible.”

He could not do it against Sabbatini, though. Bogeys came at the sixth and seventh and even when he birdied the long 11th Sabbatini had his second eagle of the match and then went two up with a birdie two holes later.

Donald fell four down before he produced a burst of four birdies in a row around the turn. O’Hern matched two of them, however, to keep the upper hand.