Tiger Woods' first PGA Tour appearance in eight months came to a shuddering halt when he was upset 4&2 by South African Tim Clark at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Thursday. The American world number one, back in action after injury for the first time since winning the US Open at Torrey Pines, squandered an early one-hole lead before losing the second-round match on the 16th green. Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, survived a meltdown for the second straight round, outlasting fellow Masters champion Zach Johnson, 1 up. And this World Golf Championship suddenly had an English flavor after big victories from Oliver Wilson, Ross Fisher and Paul Casey, with two other Englishmen tied in their matches. Geoff Ogilvy rallied to beat Shingo Katayama, going 19 holes for the second straight day. Woods, the defending champion, went one up with a birdie at the second before being overhauled as world number 33 Clark rattled up four birdies in six holes around the turn. Clark sealed victory with a conceded birdie at the par-three 16th. “I felt like I hit one bad eight-iron and one bad drive in two days,” Woods, 33, told reporters after losing for only the fourth time in his last 28 matches at the event. “I was very pleased with the way I hit it today but I just didn't make enough birdies. Tim is a wonderful player. He grinds it out and he made a bunch of birdies today.” Top seed Woods, who beat Australian Brendan Jones 3&2 on Wednesday in his return to the Tour after recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, surrendered an early advantage over Clark. Bidding for his fourth title at the matchplay event, he struck a superb second shot to 28 feet at the par-five second and two-putted for birdie to lead Clark by one. The next two holes were shared before Clark rolled in a double-breaking birdie putt from 68 feet at the par-four fifth to level the match. Clark went one up at the par-three sixth where Woods's tee shot ended up in a plugged lie in a greenside bunker from where he was unable to get up and down. Woods immediately recovered, rolling in a nine-footer to birdie the seventh and square the match. Deadlocked after 10 holes, the straight-hitting Clark reeled off three consecutive birdies to go three up. He hit his third shot to four feet at the par-five 11th, where Woods bogeyed after driving into a bunker, rolled in a seven-footer at the par-three 12th and two-putted from 18 feet at the par-five 13th. Woods cut the deficit to two in spectacular style by holing out from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-four 14th. Clark, on the green there in two, missed his birdie attempt from 30 feet. However, the South African regained his three-hole cushion at the 343-yard par-four 15th where Woods drove out-of-bounds beyond the green en route to a bogey. Clark safely parred after reaching the back of green in two. Clark effectively closed the door on Woods with a superb tee shot to four feet at the par-three 16th where his opponent, hitting second, missed the green to the right.
