Woods Shows Ames What Can Happen

Everybody knows that Tiger Woods can play golf well. Now we know he reads all right too.

On Tuesday, Stephen Ames told reporters this about his chance against Woods in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship: “Anything can happen, especially where he’s hitting the ball.”

On Wednesday, Woods birdied his first six holes at La Costa and defeated Ames, 9 and 8, the quickest and most lopsided match in the tournament’s history.

After his epic victory, Woods produced some equally epic answers, true classics in their brevity, beginning when he was asked if had read Ames’ comments.

“Yes.”

So what was his reaction when he saw them?

“Nine and 8.”

Obviously, he must like challenges, the idea of someone saying he’s not driving the ball well, that must have lit a fire under him?

“You might say that.”

Wouldn’t it be better if he said it?

“As I said, 9 and 8.”

And so it went on opening day of the $7.5-million tournament, where seven of the 32 first-round matches went longer than 18 holes, where the shortest match in the history of the event as well as the longest were played out and where Ernie Els made an early exit once again.

Els fell to Bernhard Langer, 1-up, marking the second consecutive time Els was upset in the first round. He also lost to Phil Tataurangi in the first round in 2003, the last time Els took part here.

Colin Montgomerie, who scored a 23-hole victory over Niclas Fasth, sounded as if he could understand Els’ plight.

“Match play,” he said, “is a lottery. It’s a crazy game.”

It’s also a long game, or at least it seemed that way to Scott Verplank, who defeated Lee Westwood in 26 holes. That tied the length of Mike Weir’s victory over Loren Roberts in the first round in 2003. Three times in extra holes Verplank made par putts to extend the match, which eventually ended when Westwood made a bogey after hitting a tree coming out of the rough. Verplank was on the green in three.

“I was happy when he gave me a little eight-inch [putt] at the last,” Verplank said. “He said, ‘That’s good,’ and I went, ‘Thank God.’ I was kind of thinking if I won today, I’d probably practice a little bit, but I think I already did.”

Verplank’s round lasted six hours, Woods’ two.

“I worked three times as hard as he did today,” Verplank said.

With Woods winning easily and Els losing, three of the top four seeded players made it into the second round. Vijay Singh had no trouble with Graeme McDowell, winning 5 and 4 with six birdies in 14 holes, and Retief Goosen sent Paul Broadhurst home by the same score. Hometown favorite Phil Mickelson was extended to 18 holes before defeating Charles Howell III, 2-up.

“I was lucky to hold him off,” Mickelson said.

Other than what happened to Els, the biggest upset was probably Jim Furyk, second seeded in Goosen’s bracket, who lost to 15th-seeded Zach Johnson, 1-up. Leading money winner Rory Sabbatini, who won last week at Riviera, was sent home early, losing to Miguel Jimenez, 2 and 1.

It also was somewhat of a long day for David Toms, the defending champion, who had only one birdie plus an eagle and still defeated Ian Poulter in 19 holes.

Toms knows something about whopping margins of victory -- he beat Chris DiMarco 6 and 5 in last year’s final -- and he also is aware of how dangerous it could be to rile Woods, no matter how the words were intended.

“I don’t know if you give the best player in the world any extra incentive to beat you,” he said.

Woods takes on Robert Allenby in the second round today with the winner going on to face either Chad Campbell or Henrik Stenson. Toms will play Jose Maria Olazabal, Singh will play Jimenez and Goosen faces Ben Crane.

Woods, who won the first nine holes, averaged 300.5 yards on his measured drives, hit four of eight fairways and all 10 greens in regulation in his rout of Ames. Even so, Woods said he was surprised with the ease of his victory.

“The only two holes I didn’t birdie on the front nine he made bogey,” he said. “What is the chance of that ever happening? So I put together a good start.

“You have to bear down and focus on your own game and put a lot of pressure on your opponent.”

As far as his opponent putting pressure on him, Woods said he could understand a player suggesting a weakness in another player’s game, which is what Ames basically did. He said it’s a fair comment, but only for someone else to make.

“I just don’t do it,” he said.