FanHouse JBHolmes

Tiger Woods has opted for clinical mastery during the 36-hole final of the Accenture Match Play Championship. After "no way that happens if it's anybody else but Tiger" wins in the first round against J.B. Holmes, and again in the third round over Aaron Baddeley, Woods has a comfortable lead on Stewart Cink at the halfway point today.

For Cink, the bright spots have been few, and as best I can tell he can take two positives from the morning round: the match isn't dormie after 18 holes, and he actually won the 12th and 16th. That's about it.

Barring some Ed Fiori-like play this afternoon, this will be more like a practice round than the finals of PGA Tour event. Assuming Woods holds on (rolls eyes), the talk no doubt will turn to his undefeated record, and the absurd discussion of the possibility of a perfect season. Okay, maybe it's not all that absurd, because, well, we're talking about Tiger. But let's be honest, there's no way he goes 20-something-and-0 this year.

In fact, I put Eldrick's chances at winning all four majors well ahead of going undefeated in 2008. And, hey, Cink could comeback this afternoon (rolls eyes again).

In retrospect, you have to figure Tiger Woods was just trying add a little No. 1 vs. No. 16 seed excitement the proceedings. Eldrick hit his very first shot of the Accenture Match Play Championship out of bounds, and things only got worse from there.

He was three down through five, battled to within one midway through the round, only to go three down with five to play. One of the best amateur match-play players in the world, Woods hasn't had the same success on the professional level. That's all relative, of course, but when you're expected to win -- and not just win, but do it in convincing fashion -- every time you tee it up, this somehow becomes noteworthy.

Anyway, Woods, who's seemingly accomplished everything in golf, managed something new: he had never fallen three holes behind and come back to win in match play as a professional. Until yesterday.



I don't know where this ranks on the "list of amazing things Tiger's done that no one else could pull off," but it's up there somewhere. Given the format and that we're still early in the season, this doesn't compare with his '97 Masters victory, or his '00 U.S. Open blowout at Pebble Beach, or even his improbable 1996 Amateur title.

But such performances never get old. Well, unless you're Steve Scott or J.B. Holmes.

Hat tip: FanIQ