Woods' Comeback Cut Short By Outsider Clark

As WH Auden never said: Stop the clocks, cut off the phone, prevent the dog barking, Tiger's gone home. A funereal mood descended on the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Tucson last night after the long- anticipated comeback of Tiger Woods came to a swift and decisive end courtesy of the South African Tim Clark. The ­American galleries, who made the trip here in the belief that the great man was invincible, were gloomy; American television, which had focused its coverage almost exclusively on Woods, was bereft.

They could be forgiven their Cyclopean tendencies but they forgot one vital thing; in matchplay golf even the great ones are beatable. Well, they know this now.

Clark, who on the eve of his contest against the world No1 gave himself no chance of winning, is no mug. He is a ­better player than he looks, and he proved it, ­running in six birdies in 16 holes to win by a comfortable 4&2 margin. "I knew I had to play out of my mind to beat him, and that he would also have to play below his best, and that is what happened. I played as well as I possibly could," Clarke said after shaking hands with his opponent.

As for Woods, he – as he is wont to do on such occasions – chose only to see his defeat in a positive light. "I am very pleased with how I am hitting the ball. I only hit two bad shots in two days, but I didn't make enough birdies," he said.

This came as scant consolation to his adoring followers, but at least their hero left them with something to remember. Three down on the 14th and facing the prospect of going further behind he holed a shot from a greenside bunker to reduce the deficit to two holes.

It was one for the memory bank, a vintage Woods moment, but it was then followed by a shot he will want to forget: a drive on the 15th that sailed further right than Dick Cheney and ended up out of bounds. The end was nigh, and it duly arrived at the par-three 16th, where Clarke hit his tee shot to three feet.

The South African will now play Rory McIlroy in today's third round after the Irish teenager found his form on the back nine and birdied three of the last four holes, including the 18th with a 25-foot putt, to advance against Hunter Mahan.

It was a terrific effort from McIlroy, who was two down with six holes to play, but the prize for performance of the day went to Oliver Wilson, who was seven-under par for 17 holes in defeating Anthony Kim. The American sits 32 places above the Englishman and, on this side of the Atlantic at least, is highly touted as golf's "next big thing", but neither mattered much when the birdies started pouring in.

There is a quiet assurance about the Englishman, as well as a mischievous streak, and both served him well in a match that was never less than compelling. Wilson and Kim played each other in a foursomes match at last year's Ryder Cup in Kentucky – a subject of some mid-round conversation, perhaps?

"There was no chat," Wilson said afterwards with a smile. "For some ­reason every time I play matchplay, I always seem to get someone who is playing great. I don't know if that's because I am too friendly out on the course.

"But I have tried to change it this week. I haven't really spoken to anyone yet, I'm keeping myself to myself, and grinding it out."

Wilson's cunning plan did not unsettle Kim, who had four birdies and an eagle of his own, but it certainly helped the Englishman, who drove the ball well, hit his irons crisply and rolled in a number of good putts. As winning formulas go in golf, that is as good as it gets.

Joining Wilson in today's third round will be Ross Fisher, another understated Englishman who played brilliantly to beat Pat Perez, conqueror of Padraig Harrington, by a 6&5 margin, as well as Luke Donald, who was two down with two holes to play against Vijay Singh but managed to secure an unlikely victory at the first extra hole.