Tiger withstands Baddeley's birdie barage in memorable match

MARANA, Ariz. -- A couple of miles outside the main entrance to the Gallery at Dove Mountain development is a road that has one of those uniquely Southwestern names.

It's called Camino de Manana, which, translated into English, means, the Road to Tomorrow.

Aaron Baddeley has his chances, but can't topple Tiger. (AP)

Aaron Baddeley almost forced top-seeded Tiger Woods to miss the turn.

In perhaps the greatest match in the 10-year history of the Accenture Match Play Championship, if not Woods' 13-year career, the two were credited with 22 birdies in a brilliant battle that didn't end until the world No. 1 rolled in a 13-footer to win on the second extra hole.

After trading haymakers for the last three hours, Woods was in such a hurry to get out of Dodge that he began doffing his hat a moment before the winning putt toppled into the cup.

By the time the ball found the bottom of the hole, he had turned and extended a paw, initiating the customary handshake, to Baddeley.

"It was a little early, wasn't it? Woods said, a tad embarrassed. "But it (the putt) looked pretty good from where I was."

If so, it was the only certainty in the match, which left the scoreboard splashed in red paint.

"I birdied, he birdied," Woods said. "He birdied, I birdied. It was unbelievable how many birdies we made out there today."

For all the occasional pitfalls of match play, matches like this one make the format downright redeeming. No question, nothing on a traditional Friday in stroke play comes close to capturing the fireworks and drama the duo produced in their third-round pairing.

With the match all square, Baddeley, 26, three times had the chance to either beat Woods outright or put him in arrears starting at No. 17, but missed birdie chances from 17, 10 and 11 feet. Had either of the last two dived into the hole, Woods, watching with hands on hips, would have been headed back to Orlando.

"It was quality shot after quality shot," Woods said. "Matches like that are fun to be part of."

Easy for him to say. He won. But Baddeley walked away feeling pretty good about his performance, all things considered. As he rightly should.