Dank skies leave Woods, O'Meara under the weather
By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) - Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara
are fighting a flu bug, and the dank British weather is not helping.
They're both on antibiotics and hoping the rain abates for
their opening matches in the 12-man World Match Play Championship
at the Wentworth Club.
They'll get another day to recover before Friday's quarterfinals.
As two of the four seeded players, they drew byes for the start
of play Thursday
Woods got sick in Scotland last week at the Dunhill Cup. O'Meara
was fighting the flu and sinus problems when he arrived at St.
Andrews from Florida.
The other two byes went to Vijay Singh, the top seed and defending
champion, and Ernie Els, the three-time champion.
The bye is especially important considering the demands of
the event, which calls for 36 holes daily.
"Eight rounds in four days is a lot of golf on this kind
of golf course, where it's wet and soft," Woods said. "Only
playing six rounds is a distinct advantage, no doubt about it."
In the first round, it's Steve Stricker vs. Patrik Sjoland,
Colin Montgomerie vs. Thomas Bjorn, Lee Westwood vs. Stuart Appleby
and Darren Clarke vs. Ian Woosnam.
Woods, sniffling and clearing his throat, suggested Wednesday
he plays well when he feels bad. And he still managed to crack
a joke.
"I had the flu at Disney (1996) with a 102-degree fever
and I shot 66 to win the tournament," he said. "When
I got home my fever was 104.2.
"Anybody who is sick usually plays well," he added.
"You conserve yourself a little bit better, you expect less
of yourself. When you're sick, you often see guys with their best
rounds."
Then he dead-panned: "I'm not that pleased. Better you
had it than me."
O'Meara, despite a daily regimen of six or seven vitamins begun
18 months ago, is not up to speed.
"It's no big deal," he said. "It's really the
first time I haven't felt well in a year and a half."
"Tiger's got the potential here, but he's got his work
cut out if he wants to win this - just like everybody else.'
Woods is the No.-1 ranked player in the world, a rating based
on stroke play.
"I consider myself up there in match play with some other
guys like Ernie, Vijay, obviously," said Woods, who is playing
this event for the first time.
"I like the one-on-one, the head-to-head," he added.
"In professional golf you don't get this chance very often.
There are only a couple per year where you go head-to-head in
match play."
Wentworth's tree-lined, narrow fairways favor straight hitters.
And the soft, flat greens should lend themselves to U.S.-style
target golf, a turnaround from last week's links golf at St. Andrews.
Els is again a favorite, although he said his game "isn't
quite where it was last year." The South African won three
straight (1994-96) and lost to Singh in last year's final.
"I've been in the finals four straight times and I don't
want to let go," he said. "I've had a good run on this
course and in this tournament."
Els will face Westwood or Appleby in the quarterfinals, with
Woods looming in the semifinals - if Woods can get by Clarke or
two-time winner Woosnam in the quarters.
Would he relish a Woods-Els match?
"No, not really," Els said. "I wouldn't say
I'm running scared or anything, but he's a very good match player
and tough to beat."
In the other bracket, Singh will face Stricker or Sjoland in
the quarterfinals, with O'Meara getting the Montgomerie-Bjorn
winner.
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