/ 30 March 2005

Woods and Els duel in the dark

Tiger Woods and Ernie Els once again duelled to a golfing play-off draw in Florida on Tuesday as darkness halted the Tavistock Cup match between crosstown rival golf clubs Lake Nona and host Isleworth.

The annual showdown was declared an 8,5-8,5 draw, bringing back memories of 16 months earlier at the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, where Els and Woods halved three sudden-death holes before the match was declared a draw.

A foursome of two-time US Open winners from rival clubs — South Africans Els and Retief Goosen for Lake Nona and Americans Woods and Lee Janzen for Isleworth — fought through three play-off holes before sunset halted the event.

”It’s a lot of fun starting out, then it gets real quiet at the end,” Woods said.

Woods led an Isleworth rally on the back nine to level the matches and force the play-off, every hole of which was contested at the 18th hole.

Els sank a clutch 10-footer to extend the match to a second play-off hole. Goosen dropped a 25-foot birdie but Woods matched it from 15 feet to force a third play-off hole. Goosen and Els missed birdie putts on their third try and darkness forced a draw declaration upon the $1,78-million event.

”Seems like we’re making this a habit, finishing in the dark and in a tie?” Els said to Woods.

Prize money was split among each team, with Woods collecting a $100 000 bonus for shooting the low score in the stroke-play format. Teams played in foursomes with each man facing both rivals in stroke-play.

Els, Goosen, Woods and Janzen were sent into the play-off by virtue of being the low players from each team.

The match, which included LPGA star Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, was played before 3 800 invited guests at the exclusive golf haven, with the visitors arriving by helicopter and the course in perfect condition.

Rain that forced a Monday finish upon the US PGA Players Championship forced the Cup to be trimmed in half to a one-day event. — Sapa-AFP