Woods just goes ballistic

World Matchplay Championship: Tiger Woods inflicted the sort of punishment that Stephen Ames probably wouldn't have even countenanced in his nightmares. This was XXX rated. The world number one thumped his opponent 9 and 8, producing a birdie barrage that would have destroyed anyone on a balmy Southern Californian morning. John O'Sullivan reports from Carlsbad, California.

How Ames must have wished he could recant his pre-match observation: "Anything can happen. Especially where he's hitting the ball."

Ames reference to Wood's penchant for being a little wayward at times was rendered risible. It also didn't go un-noticed.

Woods confirmed that he had been made aware of the comments. His reaction? "9 and 8."

The ignominy of such a heavy drubbing for the man who now represents Canada was defused by the staggering quality of his opponent's golf.

Woods exploded any preconceptions that last week's withdrawal at Los Angeles would compromise his chances of adding a third WGC World Matchplay Championship to the two he won in 2003 and 2004 in stunning fashion.

He rattled off six straight birdies from the first hole to race into a six-hole lead. Ames bogeyed the next, probably still in a state of shock, and plunged eight down when Woods recorded his seventh birdie at the eighth to put him eight clear.

Ames' second bogey at the next meant Woods had won all nine holes to the turn, and 11 minutes later the match at the 10th with a rather mundane par.

Ames had been the second alternate for this tournament and was expecting to play elsewhere this week, before Thomas Bjorn's late withdrawal, and he had to FedEx his clubs to La Costa. He must have wished he hadn't bothered.

Woods, in contrast, was beaming.

"It's been a while since I played like that. I hit a bunch of good golf shots and basically it was an extension of Tuesday (practice round). I hit the ball that way all day and I just wanted to continue it in competition and I did. It felt really good."

Padraig Harrington was in control of his match from the sixth and by the 12th had a four up lead against Australian Rod Pampling but a second successive bogey on 15 - he halved the 14th - reduced his lead to three up with as many holes to play.

But the Australian was forced to concede the short 16th to hand Harrington a comfortable 4 and 2 victory.

It was less edifying for two other Irish representatives. Darren Clarke went down 4 and 3 to Shigeki Maruyama, with the Japanese golfer producing a quartet of birdies from the turn in a spectacular run.

And Graeme McDowell was four down to Vijay Singh after 11 holes.

Tom Lehman is being peppered with questions about the Ryder Cup at the K Club in September. The inquiries centre not just on the likely composition of the American captain's team, but whether he'll be suiting up in a playing capacity.

His form this season has invited the conjecture - he's 23rd on the US money list - and his performance yesterday in the first round will do little to quell the speculation. Lehman trimmed Start Appleby 3 and 2, the American three under the card when the match finished on the 16th green.

His performance is all the more laudable when considering that his Australian opponent has already won on the US Tour this season, the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, and lies third in the standings with earnings topping $1.2 million.

It was only last week that the American media quizzed Lehman about his intentions should he qualify for the Ryder Cup team. The latter admitted: "Well, I've been saying all along, we want to field the 12 best players that the US has to offer, whoever they are. And so if I happen to fall within (that), for me it would have to be top 10.

"I would never pick myself, if I were at all sane. Wouldn't that be fun? I'm going to pick myself and sit out until the singles. We want the 12 best guys.

"So I would have to prove to myself that I'm playing really well. I'd have to prove to the guys on the team that I'm playing well, and I probably would want to get their opinion."

Yesterday he deflected the queries, adamant that he had no problem in trying to juggle the twin ambitions of playing well and maintaining a watching brief. "I'm here as a player first. I have my own game to worry about and my own goals to achieve. When I go home and the day is over I can think about the other stuff, so it's actually quite easy.

"I'd be very curious to know if some of the match-ups, Americans versus European players, how those fare. They will give me a barometer of where we are at."

Lehman will face Adam Scott today to further road test his game.

The Australian, who leads the scoring averages on the US Tour this season, produced golf of a more mundane variety to see off the challenge off young American prospect Lucas Glover on the 17th green.

Several matches went into extra holes. Colin Montgomerie, four up at one stage, eventually outlasted Niclas Fasth to win on the 23rd.