VIRGINIA WATER, England,15 September 2006 — US Ryder Cup teammates Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk suffered shock defeats in the first round of the World Match Play Championship yesterday.

World No. 1 Woods, who arrived at Wentworth on the back of a remarkable run of five successive tournament wins, wielded a cold putter throughout the 36-hole match as he lost 4 & 3 to fellow American Shaun Micheel.

“Sometimes it’s easier to play as the underdog,” Micheel told reporters. “He (Woods) is so strong mentally which makes him difficult to play in match play.

“We each had our share of bogeys and mishaps but it feels really special to beat him. He played pretty well but did not make the putts he usually does.”

Furyk, elevated to second in the world after his victory at the Canadian Open last week, also slumped to a 4 & 3 defeat by Robert Karlsson.

Swede Karlsson, who will make his debut in the Ryder Cup next week, birdied each of the four par-three holes in his eight-under-par morning round of 64, a feat achieved only twice before in the championship.

Briton Paul Casey marked his debut in the event by hitting six birdies and an eagle in an inspired nine-hole run midway through his match to down world number six Retief Goosen 6 & 4. New Zealander Michael Campbell, last year’s champion, eased past Britain’s Simon Khan 3 & 1 while Colin Montgomerie defeated David Howell one up.

Ernie Els’ hopes of a record seventh World Match Play title were ended by a 2 & 1 defeat by Argentina’s Angel Cabrera. Canadian Mike Weir ousted Australian Adam Scott 3 & 2 while Briton Luke Donald put out Tim Clark of South Africa two up.

Woods, making his second appearance at Wentworth eight years after he was beaten in the final by close friend Mark O’Meara, went one up with a par four at the first but his opponent bounced back with three successive birdies from the third.

A bogey at the sixth by Woods gave the 37-year-old Micheel a three-hole advantage on a West Course soaked by heavy overnight rain.

The British Open and US PGA champion went four down with a bogey at the 15th before pulling one hole back with a birdie at the 18th.

Micheel, the 2003 US PGA champion, went round in 70 while Woods took 33 putts in his level-par 72. Woods won the opening two holes of the afternoon round with a par-birdie start but it turned out that he was only offering false hope to his fans.

World No. 77 Micheel, who finished second behind Woods at last month’s US PGA, avenged his Medinah disappointment by restoring his four-hole lead with birdies at the fourth and seventh and an eagle three at the 12th.

Micheel, without a tournament victory this season, plays Donald in the quarterfinals.

Campbell takes on Montgomerie today while Casey meets Weir and Karlsson faces Cabrera.

Clarke Returns With Four-Under-Par 68

in Madrid Open

In Madrid, Ryder Cup wild-card Darren Clarke signaled his return to golf with a four-under-par 68 to contend strongly for the Madrid Open title yesterday as he warms up for next week’s match with the United States.

Clarke has had no competitive golf for eight weeks since missing the cut in the British Open and then taking time off to care for his late wife Heather.

He had five birdies and made just one bogey to sit three strokes behind early first round leader Jean-Francois Lucquin of France.

“With a warm putter I would have been a lot better,” the Northern Irishman told reporters. “I hit 17 greens but I had 31 putts. The greens were a bit slow, not just for me but my playing-partners as well.” Two birdies in his first four holes lifted Clarke immediately after such a long lay-off.

“I’m not sure I had butterflies but you’re always a little bit apprehensive before any round. I wanted to get off to a good start and I did,” he said. One of his playing-partners, Thomas Bjorn, who missed out on the other wild-card to Lee Westwood, was in no doubt Clarke is Ryder Cup-ready.

“He’ll be all right; he’ll be fine,” said the Dane who lies four shots off the pace.

Clarke, who laughed and joked all the way round La Moraleja II with his former Ryder Cup playing-partners Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez, is again in a position to achieve an emotional goal.