CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Surprised to even be playing in the Match Play Championship, John Rollins was two holes away from taking down Tiger Woods.
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Tiger Woods is congratulated by John Rollins after his one up victory on the 18th green in the first round of the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championship Wednesday Feb. 25, 2004 in Carlsbad, Calif. Woods won the last two holes for a comeback victory. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Associated Press
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A pensive Tiger Woods stares down the fairway while waiting to tee off during his opening round match against John Rollins at the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championship in Carlsbad, Calif.
Associated Press
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He had a 1-up lead and was safely on the 17th green.
And he had a bad feeling.
"I told my caddie that he's due any minute to hit one of those towering shots that sit right by the flag," Rollins said. "He must have heard me."
Woods hit an 8-iron from 171 yards that dropped 18 inches behind the flag, the start of a birdie-birdie finish that allowed him to survive a major scare Wednesday in a thrilling opening round at La Costa Resort.
Fifteen of the 32 matches went the distance.
A record-tying six matches were decided in extra holes.
Darren Clarke was facing elimination when he chipped in for eagle from just short of the 18th green to force extra holes, and he finally disposed of Eduardo Romero on the 25th.
Brad Faxon was 4 under par and never trailed until losing to Steve Flesch on the 19th hole. It looked like Scott Verplank needed only a two-putt from 30 feet to win, but he three-putted and lost to Bob Estes on the 19th hole.
Colin Montgomerie was 2 down with three to play against Nick Price when he birdied the next two holes and won on the 20th.
"I'm a big believer that if you can't win the first game, you probably won't win the second," Montgomerie said.
Woods is lucky to get another chance.
He twice made knee-knocking pars just to stay close, tied the match with his 8-iron into the 17th and won a battle of the wedges on the par-5 18th, holing a 20-foot birdie putt after Rollins hit into a bunker and already was assured of making a bogey.
"That was tough," Woods said. "I feel bad for the way he ended up."
Given the fickle nature of this event, the big surprise was that there wasn't many.
Retief Goosen (No. 5) was the only top-10 seed to head for the airport Wednesday afternoon, blowing a 2-up lead and losing to John Huston on the 17th hole.
Davis Love III had to go 18 holes to hold off Briny Baird, but other top seeds - Vijay Singh, Masters champion Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry - had a much easier time advancing to the second round of the Accenture Match Play Championship.
For the longest time, it appeared as though Woods might not stick around.
Rollins, who got into the $7 million World Golf Championship when three players withdrew, never trailed despite making only one birdie, and was 2 up with five holes to play.
It all turned on the 17th.
"I needed to give myself two looks at birdie," Woods said. "I did that."
He never had to putt the one on No. 17 after Rollins three-putted trying to make a long putt.
Both laid up on the par-5 18th and were about 5 yards away from each other. Woods went first, and hit only an average sand wedge to 20 feet.
Rollins blinked.
He tried to land the ball behind the flag and spin it back, but it sailed too far and took one hop into the bunker. With the green sloping away from him, he tried to play the perfect shot and came up short in the rough. He kicked the sand, then slammed the wedge into the side of his foot to shake loose the sand from his spikes.
He knew he was close. And he knew it was over.
"I didn't give myself a chance, and that's the disappointing part," he said.
Woods next faces Trevor Immelman of South Africa, a winner over Shigeki Maruyama.
Woods was 1 under for his round, which would not have stood up against a dozen other guys in the first round. All that mattered was being one better than Rollins.
"The first round is so difficult to get through because nobody wants to go home after the first day," Clarke said.
That includes Clarke, who looked like he had his bags packed on the 18th.
"I was trying to chip it up there as close as I could and hit it a little bit firm," he said. "I think it was pretty fortunate that I managed to hit the flag."
Clarke, who beat Woods in the 36-hole final four years ago, has dropped 35 pounds in the last six months, which was a good thing for the amount of work he had to put in Wednesday.
The 25-hole match was one short of the record, set last year when Weir went 26 holes.
There also were six overtime matches in 2001 at Metropolitan in Australia - the difference being the six losers had a much longer flight home.
Among the early departures for the second straight year is Sergio Garcia, who was 2 up over Jerry Kelly at the turn, was 1 under on the back nine and still lost.
Kelly, who has been grinding on the range since last week, made four birdies in a five-hole stretch for a 1-up victory.
Next up for Kelly is Singh, who made short work of Shingo Katayama, 5 and 3.
"I've got nothing to lose," Kelly said as he pounded balls at dusk.
