Ryder Cup duo struggle
Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, the top two players in the world, were in deep trouble when the HSBC World Match Play Championship began at Wentworth today.
Woods, winner of his last five tournaments and making his first appearance in the event since he lost to Mark O’Meara in the 1998 final, went to lunch three down to fellow American Shaun Micheel and had already been four behind twice.
Micheel, runner-up to the world number one at last month’s US PGA Championship and winner of that title in 2003, had a hat-trick of birdies from the third to take control, while Woods had bogeys at the sixth, ninth and 15th, the second of those after missing a putt of under three feet.
With golf’s biggest first prize of £1m (€1.5m) up for grabs, Woods’ plight was nothing compared to the situation in which Furyk, his likely partner at next week’s Ryder Cup, found himself.
Making his debut four days after taking the world number-two spot from Phil Mickelson with victory in the Canadian Open, Furyk trailed Robert Karlsson by six after 17 holes.
He did take the last of the morning but although Furyk’s 69 was three better than Woods had managed Karlsson produced a sparkling 64.
The Swede is one of two uncapped players in Ian Woosnam’s side for the K Club and, with wins in the Wales Open and Deutsche Bank Championship under his belt already this season, he was giving his confidence another boost.
He equalled the tournament record, which can never be beaten, with twos at all four par threes and if he had birdied the par-five 18th he would have matched another record with a back nine 30, seven under.
Although he did not manage that when they set off again Karlsson made it five twos out of five, but Furyk followed suit.
Defending champion Michael Campbell was having a real ding-dong struggle with outsider Simon Khan.
Khan, whose runner-up on the course in May’s BMW Championship helped earn him a place in the 16-man field, twice led by two after the first nine holes. Campbell came back to be three ahead after 20, but the Essex golfer took three of the next four holes to level.
In the duel between two Ryder Cup team-mates, Colin Montgomerie, the 1999 winner, and European Order of Merit leader David Howell were level after 18, but Montgomerie won the 19th, 20th and 23rd.
It was not shaping up to be a good day for the three South Africans in the field.
Record six-time winner Ernie Els, unable to defend the title last year following knee surgery, trailed Angel Cabrera by one after 19, Retief Goosen was two down to England’s Paul Casey with 14 to play and Luke Donald turned an early deficit to Tim Clark into a one-up lead at lunch.
In the other match Canadian Mike Weir was two in front of Australian Adam Scott after 21, but had been four clear.
