Woods Stays Away From Water Hazards

It’s not in any cookbook, but here now is the recipe for making an absolutely miserable day on the golf course. Just add water.

As rain pounded La Costa, they stopped playing only long enough to sponge the water off the greens and check to see if the ark was double-parked. Even though it was warm and cozy in the clubhouse, none of the players were sent off the course to wait there while Thursday’s storms struck in wave after wave.

“Basically, all the greens are lakes,” Jim Furyk said from beneath his umbrella as he waited to finish his match.

Basically, that changed the way they played the second round of the $6-million Accenture Match Play Championship. Backstrokes replaced putting strokes. Nobody lapped the field, they swam laps.

Tiger Woods, as usual, made a big splash, dispatching K.J. Choi, 4 and 3, in a soggy slog-fest, even though Woods didn’t think much of the playing conditions. For instance, after he’d hit his third shot to the green at the par-five eighth, he never saw the ball.

“I’m playing in almost casual [water] as it is and water is flying and water is coming down and I never saw the shot,” Woods said. “I just listened for claps.”

Everyone else just listened for the horn to sound and let everyone escape the deluge for a while. It never was sounded.

“I assumed they would have stopped it if it was a full-field event,” Woods said. “When you only have 16 groups out there, I think that’s why they didn’t stop it.”

There were more than a few who were relieved play wasn’t stopped, because it would have interrupted their victories. David Toms, for instance, closed out his 1-up victory over Chris Riley at the 18th hole with an improbable birdie. Toms putted from the fringe with a three-wood and rolled the ball into the hole 90 feet away.

Phil Mickelson and Brad Faxon waited 30 minutes for workers to remove the water from the third green and that was about standard. The result of all the rain, besides getting everybody wet, was that it became increasingly difficult to get the ball close to the hole without spinning it back off the green.

“The greens were like trampolines, they were so spongy,” said Mickelson, who defeated Faxon, 3 and 2.

Maybe the bad weather accounted for a number of routs that took place. After all, feeling miserable and playing the same way is not the combination you’re looking for.

Darren Clarke dispatched Davis Love III, 7 and 6, then said he gets an extra advantage when the rain is coming down and the course gets soggy.

“I just sink a little lower in the ground,” Clarke said.

Also sinking were Steve Lowery, who was ousted by Furyk in a 6-and-5 blowout, thus ending an intriguing two-day experience for Lowery. He played 31 holes and made 14 bogeys, somehow managing to win his first-round match because Rich Beem had played even worse.

Furyk takes on Clarke in the third round, with the winner moving on to meet either Peter Lonard, who ousted Phil Tataurangi, or Robert Allenby, who got past Jeff Sluman.

Justin Leonard bogeyed the first four holes and five of the first seven on his way to a 6-and-5 loss to Steven Leaney of Australia. A four-time winner on the European Tour, Leaney plays Woods in the round of 16 today.

Woods says he knows enough about Leaney to realize he must be prepared.

“I know he’s got a beautiful golf swing,” Woods said.

So does Mickelson, who spent last week working on that instead of playing at Riviera. He says he’s getting closer to the way he wants it. However it looks, Mickelson’s swing was good enough to beat Faxon, who made three consecutive bogeys on the back.

Next for Mickelson is Jerry Kelly, who ended Mike Weir’s recent string of successes with a 2 and 1 victory. Weir, who won last week at Riviera and a month ago at the Bob Hope, bogeyed the last hole.

Mickelson hasn’t made it past the third round in this match-play event. He or Kelly will play the winner of the Toms-Alex Cejka match.

It may turn out to be old-timer’s day when Nick Price plays Jay Haas. They have had 95 birthdays between them. Haas is 49, Price 46. The winner of that match will play either defending champion Kevin Sutherland or Adam Scott.

If Woods reaches the quarterfinals, he will play either Scott Hoch or Toshi Izawa. And Woods certainly is playing as though he intends to make it, having gone 32 holes without a bogey.

“That’s very impressive,” said Mickelson, who could play Woods in the final.

Woods says his key is to keep the ball on the fairway and remain patient, which was quite a task in Thursday’s on-and-off rain.

“You had to take off your gear, put it back on, take it off, put it back on,” Woods said.

His biggest annoyance is what he’s wearing? This can’t be good news for everybody else.

*

Match Play Championship

At La Costa Resort, Carlsbad

Second Round (seeding in parentheses)

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

UPPER BRACKET -- Tiger Woods (1) d. K.J. Choi (32), South Korea, 4 and 3; Stephen Leaney (48), Australia, d. Justin Leonard (16), 6 and 5; Scott Hoch (25) d. Padraig Harrington (8), Ireland, 3 and 2; Toshizawa (56), Japan, d. Eduardo Romero (24), Argentina, 2 and 1; Jay Haas (61) d. Shigeki Maruyama (29), Japan, 1 up; Nick Price (13), Zimbabwe, d. Niclas Fasth (45), Sweden, 2 and 1; Kevin Sutherland (60) d. Justin Rose (37), England, 1 up; Adam Scott (44), Australia, d. Rocco Mediate (12), 1 up.

LOWER BRACKET -- Peter Lonard (31), Australia, d. Phil Tataurangi (63), New Zealand, 5 and 4; Robert Allenby (15), Australia, d. Jeff Sluman (47), 1 up; Darren Clarke (26), Northern Ireland, d. Davis Love III (7), 7 and 6; Jim Furyk (10) d. Steve Lowery (42), 6 and 5; Phil Mickelson (3) d. Brad Faxon (35), 3 and 2; Jerry Kelly (19) d. Mike Weir (14), Canada, 2 and 1; David Toms (6) d. Chris Riley (38), 1 up; Alex Cejka (54), Germany, d. Angel Cabrera (22), Argentina, 4 and 2.

TODAY’S PAIRINGS

UPPER BRACKET -- Tiger Woods (1) vs. Stephen Leaney (48), Australia; Scott Hoch (25) vs. Toshi Izawa (56), Japan; Jay Haas (61) vs. Nick Price (13), Zimbabwe; Kevin Sutherland (60) vs. Adam Scott (44), Australia.

LOWER BRACKET -- Peter Lonard (31), Australia, vs. Robert Allenby (15), Australia; Darren Clarke (26), Northern Ireland, vs. Jim Furyk (10); Phil Mickelson (3) vs. Jerry Kelly (19); David Toms (6) vs. Alex Cejka (54), Germany.