Tiger Faces Tough Test Immediately

It has been two weeks now since Tiger Woods last won a tournament, which means, well, what? He wasn’t trying? He felt sorry for the other players? He’s in a slump?

It’s probably a safe bet that somebody is going to say Woods is indeed slumping. Two weeks, no wins, has-been. That’s the way it goes for Woods, who is clearly a victim of his own excess.

You have to say that Woods brought it on himself by winning six consecutive PGA Tour events, a circumstance that raised the expectation level so high, you need a swoosh to get there.

When the $5-million Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship begins today at soggy La Costa, Woods has a new chance to make amends for not winning in the last two weeks. Of course, he isn’t the only one around here who has a shot at winning this thing and bagging a $1-million check.

In fact, Woods’ first-round match play opponent, Michael Campbell of New Zealand, was the last player to defeat Woods in a tournament before Woods’ winning streak ended at Torrey Pines.

Campbell won the Johnnie Walker Classic, a European PGA Tour event, in Taiwan in November and Woods tied for sixth.

“I sort of used his presence to my advantage,” Campbell said. “All the expectations were for Tiger to win, so all the attention is on Tiger. And all I did was just play golf.”

Of course, that element of surprise is nonexistent now. Campbell has won three of the last four tournaments he has played and moved into the last spot in the 64-player field. As his reward, he gets Tiger.

Woods knows that the 30-year-old Campbell, who made a name for himself at the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews, is someone deserving respect.

“He’s playing very well,” Woods said. “He obviously has a lot of confidence. And it’s definitely a match I’m looking forward to. We’ll see what happens.”

In this tournament, nothing is assured. The players like to say that there are no upsets in match play, that everyone is good. They’re probably right, but somebody seeded the players for a reason and that should mean something.

Last year at La Costa, it didn’t. Seven of the top 10 players were out after the first round. And after two rounds, Woods was the only one left. The final was anticlimactic, except for the two guys playing for the $1-million winner’s check: No. 24 Jeff Maggert against No. 50 Andrew Magee.

It was Maggert’s first victory in six years and he said he learned something he could use.

“I don’t look at the rankings,” he said.

In his first-round match, Maggert plays Bob Tway. Besides Woods-Campbell, there are some other intriguing opening matches--Phil Mickelson-Billy Mayfair, Greg Norman-Mark O’Meara, Ernie Els-Bernhard Langer, David Duval-Angel Cabrera and Colin Montgomerie-Dennis Paulson.

Duval, the No. 2 player in the world, lost in the second round a year ago, but he says he loves match play, so we’ll see if his enthusiasm helps keep him around for the weekend.

Woods was in a jaunty mood Tuesday, especially in responding to a recent story that he was engaged to girlfriend Joanna Jagoda.

“I don’t know where people come up with this stuff,” Woods said. “It’s not true. I remember in 1997, when I won the Masters, and at the Byron Nelson four weeks later, I [supposedly] was engaged to Kelli Kuehne, I was dating Fergie and Tyra Banks at the same time.”

ANDERSEN CONSULTING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

at La Costa Resort and Spa

7,022 yards--Par 72

Television

Today-Friday--ESPN, 11 a.m.-3 p.m; Saturday--ABC, 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m; Sunday--ABC, 11 a.m-3 p.m.