Woods to Face Oberholser

MARANA, Arizona (Ticker) - Tiger Woods barely escaped suffering a first-round upset at the $8 million WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Woods hopes for a better result Thursday when he takes on Arron Oberholser in the second round.

The world No. 1, Woods roared back from the brink of defeat Wednesday to rally for a narrow victory over fellow American J.B. Holmes. The top seed in the Jones Division, Woods was 3-down with five holes left before catching fire with his putter, winning four consecutive holes courtesy of three birdies and an eagle at the par-5 17th. Woods holed putts from progressively longer distances at each hole, starting with a 14-footer at the par-3 14th, followed by a 17-footer, a 22-footer and a 35-footer. A two-time winner of this event, Woods halved the final hole with a par to win 1-up, much to the relief of the presenting television network, not to mention spectators holding weekly tickets.

Fellow top seeds Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker also also are in action Thursday. Seeded first in the Player Division, Mickelson defeated Pat Perez on Wednesday and will take on eighth-seeded Stuart Appleby in the second round. The No. 1 seed in the Snead Division, Stricker will face ninth-seeded Hunter Mahan a day after needing 20 holes to beat Daniel Chopra. Woods, Mickelson and Stricker all avoided the same fate as Ernie Els, who suffered a shocking 6-and-5 upset at the hands of 16th-seeded Jonathan Byrd in the first round of the Hogan Division. Byrd will take on No. 9 Andres Romero in Thursday's second round.

The highest remaining seed in the Hogan Division is No. 2 Adam Scott, who will take on 10th seed Woody Austin in the second round. Scott was the only No. 2 seed to advance beyond the opening round, as Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Rory Sabbatini all were ousted Wednesday.