MARANA, Ariz. – Tiger Woods, the fifth seed in the Sam Snead bracket, faced fourth-seeded Nick Watney in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. GolfChannel.com senior writer Rex Hoggard tracked the Day 2 match on site at Dove Mountain, hole-by-hole. (Day 2 running blog | Scoring | Day 1 Tiger Tracker)
No. 18 (par 4, 480 yards): Woods misses a 5 1/2-footer at the last for birdie to lose his match to Watney, 1 down. ‘I struggled with pushing my putts all day and that was a push,’ he said. It is the second time in Woods’ last three WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship starts he’s failed to advance to the third round. (Final score: Watney wins, 1 up)
No. 17 (par 4, 482 yards): A putt that didn’t break to the valley may have cost Woods a chance to keep playing at the WGC-Match Play, at least ultimately. Woods’ birdie attempt from 27 feet at the 17th hole slipped by without breaking toward the valley, as most putts do, and Watney holds a 1-up lead with one to play. (Score: Watney 1 up through 17)
No. 16 (par 3, 247 yards): Watney airmailed the 16th green, and the hospitality tent, and made bogey while Woods two-putted from 67 feet to cut his disadvantage to just one hole. (Score: Watney 1 up through 16)
No. 15 (par 4, 343 yards): On Wednesday, Dove Mountain’s drivable 15th hole was out of reach for most in the WGC-Match Play field. On Thursday, with a helping wind, Woods carved a 3-wood onto the green but his golf ball rolled back off the front. Woods got up and down for birdie, but Watney matched his birdie and remains 2 up. (Score: Watney 2 up through 15)
No. 14 (par 4, 449 yards): The ever-present white SUVs that dot the landscape at Dove Mountain are the best indication you may be in trouble. Little surprise then that a large SUV rolled up just as Tiger was running his 7-footer for birdie past the hole at the 14th in his match against Watney. Watney remains 2 up with four holes to play. (Score: Watney 2 up through 14)
No. 13 (par 5, 583 yards): Another missed opportunity for Woods at the 13th hole after Watney failed to birdie the par 5. Woods chipped his third shot to 9 feet and missed his attempt low to remain 2 down. (Score: Watney 2 up through 13)
No. 12 (par 3, 219 yards): Watney, known in Tour circles as ‘Rube’ for the often-blank expression on his face, could easily be read on the 12th hole when he rolled in a 17-footer for birdie to extend his lead over Tiger to 2 up. The fist pump said it all. (Score: Watney 2 up through 12)
No. 11 (par 5, 659 yards): It was the kind of play one expected of the Tiger Woods-Nick Watney match - Woods roping a towering fairway wood approach at the par-5 11th to 35 feet, Watney getting up and down from in front of the green for birdie to remain 1 up.Although the hole was halved, from the cheers, it felt like someone won. (Score: Watney 1 up through 11)
No. 10 (par 4, 493 yards): It will be recorded as a loss of the hole, but it seemed much more troubling. Tiger’s adventure at the 10th hole began when his fairway wood tee shot found an awkward lie in a bunker left of the fairway, his next shot came to rest under a Jumping Cholla and his left-handed chip traveled just 10 yards. In the end, it added up to a 1-up lead for Watney with eight to play. (Score: Watney 1 up through 10)
No. 9 (par 4, 476 yards): Nine holes down in the Tucson desert and the Tiger Woods-Nick Watney match remains scoreless, so to speak. Watney had a chance to move ahead but pushed his 8 1/2-footer for birdie at the ninth. (Score: AS through 9)
No. 8 (par 5, 576 yards): The day’s marquee match has been reduced to a parade of pars and little to cheer. After winning the seventh with a par, Watney misses his birdie attempt at the par-5 eighth and Woods can’t convert from 8 feet as the match remains all square. (Score: AS through 8)
No. 7 (par 4, 486 yards): Woods dropped back into an all-square knot with Watney on Day 2 at the WGC-Match Play after making a bogey at the seventh hole. Despite a lukewarm putter Woods has been particularly sharp off the tee, missing just a single fairway so far. (Score: AS through 7)
No. 6 (par 3, 185 yards): Tiger’s day so far has been about putts, some made but most missed, and things didn’t change at the par-3 sixth. From 35 feet Woods misses his lag putt badly but holes the 4-footer for par to remain 1 up on Watney. (Score: Woods 1 up through 6)
No. 5 (par 4, 536 yards): Although neither player is on cruise control, Woods escapes a double-crossed drive at No. 5 with a 12-footer for par. Watney matches and Woods goes to the sixth with the lead. (Score: Woods 1 up through 5)
No. 4 (par 4, 342 yards): In a match-play special, Woods hits driver just short of the green at the 342-yard par-4, runs his chip 10 feet by and misses the birdie putt. By contrast, Watney laid up with an iron off the tee, hit his approach long and three-putted to give Woods his first lead of the match. (Score: Woods 1 up through 4)
No. 3 (par 3, 208 yards): As best we can tell, the only words exchanged by Woods and Watney have been, ‘that’s good.’ Of course, one couldn’t be certain Watney was giving Woods his 1-footer for par at No. 3 or referring to his twisting 40-footer that set up the tap in to keep the match all square. (Score: AS through 3)
No. 2 (par 5, 574 yards): Tiger misses another putt at No. 2, a 13-footer for eagle, but it doesn’t hurt him when Nick Watney fails to convert his birdie effort from 5 feet. The match moves to all square as the winds begin to build on Dove Mountain. (Score: AS through 2)
No. 1 (par 4, 460 yards): Not a lot of small talk between Tiger Woods and Nick Watney on No. 1 at Dove Mountain. May be a quiet day for Match 44, but both players off to goods start hitting opening fairway. Watney rolls in 12-footer for birdie for a 1-up lead at Dove Mountain. Woods talked about the need for a fast start in an 18-hole match earlier this week but his slow start on Wednesday didn’t hurt him. (Score: Watney 1 up through 1)
Watch live coverage of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Golf Channel, Thursday/Friday 2-6PM ET; Saturday noon-2PM ET; Sunday 8AM-1PM ET. NBC coverage can be seen live Saturday/Sunday, 2-6PM ET.
