Woods out of WGC Matchplay Championship

Tiger Woods’ golfing comeback came to an abrupt end on Thursday, as the WGC Matchplay Championship top seed was eliminated in the second round of the tournament by South Africa’s Tim Clark.

Clark beat Woods 4 and 2 in the second round, and had the top seed beaten by the 16th hole. Woods’ performance in the second round showed little signs of the fluency he had displayed in his first match.

“Well, I lost,” Woods told the AFP. “I played really well today, but didn’t make enough birdies. When you’re playing match play you have to make birdies and I didn’t do that today.”

Woods elimination means that none of the top four seeds have survived the opening rounds of the 2009 WGC Matchplay Championship. Vijay Singh departed on Thursday, joining Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia on the sidelines.

“Tim’s a wonderful player,” Woods concluded. “He’s consistent and grinds it out and he made a bunch of birdies today. I just didn’t get the ball in the hole.”

Clark will face Ireland’s rising star Rory McElroy in the second round of the 2009 WGC Matchplay Championship.