wgc matchplay day one

What did Wednesday’s 32 matches in at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship provide? One big shock, of course, and a few other surprises. Here’s a recap of the first round.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Tiger Woods losing to Thomas Bjorn. Any time a No. 1 seed falls in the first round, it’s a big deal. It certainly was in 2002 when Woods, as the top overall seed, fell to Peter O’Malley. But Tiger has been struggling for some time now to find the form we’re used to seeing. Wednesday is another indication that he’s not there just yet. “Disappointing,” Woods said after his loss. “Very disappointing.”

OTHER SURPRISES: J.B. Holmes, the late fill-in for Tim Clark, eliminating one of last year’s semifinalists, Camilo Villegas; and Matteo Manassero, the 17-year-old Italian, getting rid of Steve Stricker … and on Stricker’s 44th birthday, no less. That’s cruel.

UPSET CENTRAL?: The 14 upsets (lower-ranked players beating higher ranked) on Wednesday are the most in the first round since the first year of the Accenture Match Play Championship in 1999. Bjorn, ranked No. 62 coming in, is the lowest-ranked player to survive in the first round.

BEST MATCH: Gotta be the slugfest between two match play heavyweights, Stewart Cink and Ian Poulter, who went out in the first match of the day after a 30-minute frost delay. Cink beat the defending champion in 19 holes, as neither had more than a two-hole advantage. You could feel the sense of accomplishment Cink felt when he said, “That was probably the toughest draw in the field for the first round… I feel fortunate.”

AS FOR POULTER: He took the loss in stride, bemoaning the opportunities he failed to capitalize on and giving credit to Cink for his dogged determination. “He putted me off the golf course today,” Poulter said. “That’s what you have to do in this format. You have to hole putts at the right time. I did it last year and managed to go all the way. This year I missed my chances and therefore I have been punished.” Well, that sounds a little harsh.

LONGEST MATCH: The Matt Kuchar-Anders Hansen match — which Kuchar won — went 22 holes, the longest in the first round since 2006. In all, eight matches were decided in extra holes, surpassing the previous first-round mark of seven set in 2006.

BIGGEST MARGIN: Martin Kaymer, the No. 1 seed in the Gary Player bracket, beat up on Korean teenager Seung-yul Noh, 7 and 6. Kaymer won the first four holes of the match. Kaymer’s streak of four holes won to start the match ties the second-longest winning streak to start a match since 2003. In 2006, Tiger Woods won his first nine holes against Stephen Ames.

BEST WINNING STRETCH: Ernie Els found himself 3 down to Jeff Overton after just six holes. But then Els won the next five holes, needing just one birdie in the process. Winning five straight holes ties Els for the fourth-longest streak of holes won at the Accenture Match Play Championship since 2003. The longest streak is Woods’ nine-hole streak against Stephen Ames in 2006.

ROOTING FOR THE KID: Just two years, Rory McIlroy came to the Match Play Championship as the teenage sensation. Now he’s the, ahem, “old” guy rooting for the youngster — in this case, Manassero. Both European youngsters won their matches Wednesday. “I’m obviously very happy to get through to the second round,” McIlroy said. “I’m almost happier for Matteo.”

BIRDIES AND BOGEYS LEADERS: Edoardo Molinari and Bubba Watson each posted seven birdies, tying for the most on Wednesday. On the flip side, Jim Furyk and Sean O’Hair carded the most bogeys, six apiece. You can guess who won and who lost.

NICE FINISH: Jason Day ended his match against Kyung-tae Kim by rolling in a birdie putt from 40 feet, 7 inches on the 16th hole. “It was kind of going a little quick,” Day said, “so I’m glad it hit the hole.”

NO GIMMES HERE: Speaking of Day, he forced Kim to putt out on the opening hole instead of conceding a short par putt. Consider it a tone-setter. “I made him putt in a 1-1/2 foot put on the first hole, just to, you know, say I’m not going to give you any of those. Just to know that it’s going to be a hard match to play. There’s no nice guys out here.” Gotta like that killer attitude!

FRIEND VS. FRIEND: Bubba Watson had breakfast with Bill Haas and his fiance on Wednesday, discussing their wedding plans. Then Watson eliminated Hass 3 and 2. “It’s sad having to beat a friend,” Watson said. Of course, he didn’t need to add that it beats the alternative of losing to a friend.

WINNING BUT NOT HAPPY: Paul Casey, the two-time finalist, wasn’t pleased about his inability to birdie any of the par 5s in his match against Richard Green that went 19 holes. “I feel very lucky standing here talking to you about the match,” he said. … Kuchar beat Hansen despite a similar problem; he was 1 over on the last four par-5s he played. “I felt like a cat,” Kuchar said. “I had nine lives out there. He missed a lot of opportunities to put me away.” … Two-time champ Geoff Ogilvy won his first five holes against Padraig Harrington with the benefit of just one birdie putt. “Paddy didn’t have his best today,” Ogilvy said. “He let me off the hook.”

THE FINAL WORD: “It’s a funny week, this one. If you can get a couple of matches under your belt, it’s the best week of the year. And if you pucker up on Wednesday, it’s probably the worst week of the year.” — Graeme McDowell, who didn’t pucker up in beating Heath Slocum