Here’s the difference between Tiger Woods’ opening-round match, Tim Clark is not Brendan Jones. Clark will not be intimidated the way Jones, who struggled for the most of yesterday, was. Clark beat two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen 3 and 2 yesterday.
Woods rips a 3 wood right down the middle on the first hole. Clark goes up the left-center with his drive. Away we go.
Woods puts his approach about 15-feet past the hole. So after making the whole, “Tim Clark won’t be intimidated” argument, he mis-hits his approach shot and is short of the green. Thanks Tim, now I look like an idiot.
Clark decides to put from well off the green and cozies it up close to the hole. Woods misses his putt wide left and the hole is halved with pars.
All Square through 1
Woods puts his ball in the right side of the fairway on the par-5 second, while Clark is just off the fairway in some light rough.
I was going to live blog the Pat Perez-Ross Fisher match, but for some reason the Golf Channel isn’t showing that match. So you are stuck with Tiger watch.
Clark is 294 yards out and is forced to lay up, which he does to the left side of the fairway. Woods goes for the green and drills it. The ball landed just short of the green, but took a huge hop and went some 30 feet past the hole.
Clark hits his third shot and immediately looks down in disgust, but it doesn’t turn out too bad — about 15-20 feet right of the hole. Woods had a very difficult putt over a ridge and rolls to within a couple feet of the hole, which Clark concedes. Clark just misses his putt to halve the hole on the high side.
Woods 1 up through 2
On the 183-yard yard, par-3 third hole, Woods hit’s a beautiful shot about 10-feet short of the hole. While Clark misses the green right. Smells like trouble for the South African Clark.
Clark was short-sided with little green to work with, but hits a good shot a five feet from the hole. And Woods misses a pretty easy birdie putt to give Clark a chance for a halve. Clark makes the putt and we are on our way to the fourth hole. Clark got away with one there and has to feel lucky to be only one down after three holes.
Woods 1 up through 3
Golf Channel keeps promoting, “The Haney Project: Charles Barkley”, where famous golf instructor Hank Haney tries to fix Barkley’s horrendous golf swing — which is absolutely awful. But still doesn’t Sir Charles have bigger problems to worry about?
Woods carries his tee shot too far and ends up in a fairway bunker, while Clark finds the fairway. Clark sticks a nice approach shot about 7-10 feet left of the hole. Woods lands his ball on the green, but it has some wicked spin on it and it cruises off the green into a valley. Woods nips his little pitch to about an inch of the hole and has a par. Clark misses his 5-foot putt by a country mile, but is able to make the comebacker to halve the hole with another par.
Woods 1 up through 4
From just off the fairway, Woods hit’s a good approach shot, but it bounces over another ridge that he will now have to putt over. Clark is way right of the pin on his approach and will have a very long, very difficult putt.
Wow! Clark just drilled his putt from a mile away. Woods doesn’t play enough break with his putt and breaks left of the hole. So, Clark wins the first hole of the day and despite being completely outplayed for the first five holes is all square.
All Square through 5
Clark uses too much club on the par-3 sixth hole and goes over the green. Woods comes up short with his shot and is buried in the front bunker. Clark hits a nifty shot from behind the green to 2 feet. Woods blasts his bunker shot about 15 feet past the hole. That ball was so buried, you could barely see it in the bunker. Woods misses his par putt and his putter is not on right now. Clark makes his putt and takes the lead in the match.
Clark 1 up through 6
Clark and Woods are both in the fairway. Both hit the green, but Woods is about 20 feet closer and on a similar line. Clark puts his putt a few feet past the hole. Woods buries the 7 footer to win the hole and square the match.
All Square through 7
For the second straight day, Phil Mickelson has coughed up a 4 up lead late in the round. Yesterday, Angel Cabrera forced extra holes, before Mickelson put him away. Today, Zach Johnson was 4 down with 5 to play and has won three of the previous four holes and 1 down with 1 to play.
For those of you confused, Tiger is not the only one playing this week. Easy mistake to make, though.
Both Woods and Clark bombed their drives on the par-5 eighth hole, which is playing downwind. Woods second shot comes up a little short, but kicks down into a ridge just short of the green. Clark hit’s a woeful shot, though, and is a good 30 yards short of the green.
Clark shows why he is a top-40 player with a very nice up and down from a tricky position for birdie. Woods answers with a birdie putt of his own.
All Square through 8
Mickelson and Johnson both par the 18th hole, which gives Mickelson the win. Not pretty, but he’s getting it done. If Woods and Mickelson keep winning, they would meet in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Woods comes up 25-feet short on his approach to the 9th green and will have to putt over a ridge — seems to be doing that a lot today. Clark will be coming from a different angle with his putt, but will have to deal with the same ridge.
Woods just leaves his birdie putt short. One or two more revolutions of the ball and he would have had it. Clark makes a 4 footer for par. So they go to the turn all square. This is where Woods is usually at his best, it will be interesting if Clark can stick with him.
All Square through 9
Clark hits a decent approach to the 10th hole, but surprise, surprise he will have to deal with a ridge on his putt. Woods is on top of the ridge and 10 feet inside of Clark on a somewhat similar line. They both two-putt and the hole is halved with pars.
All Square 8 to play
Woods hit his approach to the far left of the green, and Clark landed about 10 feet from the pin. Woods concedes.
Clark 1 up through 11
Clark hit a 7-iron to within 6 feet of pin on par-3. Woods right and short of green, but pitch within 15 feet. Clark made birdie putt.
Clark 2 up through 12
Clark hit perfect tee shot into fairway on par-5. Woods also. Clark’s second shot rolled onto fringe of green beyond hole. Woods barely missed a green-side bunker. Clark missed his eagle putt, Woods missed his birdie putt. Woods conceded.
Clark 3 up through 13
Clark hit first shot on par-4 into rough. Woods’ went into bunker. Clark landed on green below ridge. Woods landed short in a bunker. Woods chipped in for birdie. Clark missed long birdie putt.
Clark 2 up through 14
Woods hit first shot out of bounds. Clark just off fairway. Woods’ second tee shot landed on green, put par putt missed. Clark was on fringe of green, made par putt to win hole.
Clark 3 up through 15
Clark hit 6-iron within 15 feet of pin on par-3. Woods hit 6-iron to right of green. Pitch fell short of hole. Woods conceded.
Clark wins 4 and 2