Accenture Match Play Championship Day 2

Tiger Woods cruised, Colin Montgomerie clawed his way through and Phil Mickelson crashed out of the second round of the eight million-dollar WGC Accenture Match Play Championship on Thursday.

World No. 1 Woods, who had a narrow escape in Wednesday’s first round, was never in trouble in a 3 and 2 victory over Arron Oberholser.

“I played a lot better today,” Woods said. “I did some work last night on the range, then did some work in the room and came out today with a game plan of what I need to do to warm up.”

Woods said he worked “in front of the mirror to make sure that what I’m feeling is actually what I’m doing.

“In this game, feel and real are usually two different things. I was making sure what I did last night on the range was exactly what I thought I was doing.”

Woods will next face Australian Aaron Baddeley, who advanced without hitting a shot when scheduled opponent David Toms conceded the match because of a a back ailment.

Second seed Phil Mickelson was eliminated, beaten 2 and 1 by Australian Stuart Appleby in a well-played match.

Montgomerie, Europe’s Ryder Cup hero, produced a blistering back nine to hold off American Charles Howell.

Howell took the lead with four straight birdies from the 10th hole, but Montgomerie birdied three of the next four holes en route to a one-up victory.

Montgomerie, 59th seed, who only barely qualified for the World Golf Championships event, was delighted to get through to the final 16.

“That’s a good effort,” he said. “Charles birdied the 11th to go all square and my caddie said, ‘Right, Mr. Montgomerie, it’s Ryder Cup mode.’ I was four-under from then on, so he should say that more often in stroke play events.

“We’re in the last 16 and delighted. I look forward to playing again tomorrow.”

Montgomerie said the 14th hole was key. He hit a six-iron to three feet to win the hole and square the match.

“It gave me the initiative to birdie 15 as well,” he said.

Both players battled on the tougher front nine at Dove Montain, but each made five birdies coming in.

“The front nine, the pins are extremely tight, and that’s why you’ll find that today the scoring is perhaps better on the back nine,” Montgomerie said.

Montgomerie will get a shot at another potential US Ryder Cup opponent, Stewart Cink, who beat Ireland’s Padraig Harrington 2-up.

Paul Casey was the only other Briton to join Montgomerie in the third round, outlasting fellow Brit Bradley Dredge 2 and 1.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia also bowed out, falling 3 and 1 to American Boo Weekley…

Wie makes statement in ‘08 debut, shooting 69 in Fields Open

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — Michelle Wie got off to a promising start in her first tournament round of the year, shooting a 3-under 69 in the Fields Open on Thursday to finish three strokes behind early leader Paula Creamer.

Showing no signs of the wrist injuries that plagued her last year, Wie broke 70 for the first time since the Evian Ladies Masters in July 2006, a tournament where she tied for second and earned her largest LPGA Tour check.

Creamer shot a 6-under 66, birdieing the last three holes for a 5-under 31 on the back nine. Annika Sorenstam, trying to complete a Hawaiian sweep after winning at Turtle Bay for her 70th LPGA Tour title, opened with a 70.

The 18-year-old Wie looked relaxed and confident playing on her home island of Oahu in front of a familiar gallery that ballooned as she moved up the leaderboard. She demonstrated a solid short game and was still a little shaky off the tees.

The Stanford freshman was in the first group off the 10th tee and made her move after the turn. She birdied four of five holes to take the lead at 4 under.

Wie split the fairway with a booming drive on par-5 first, just one of six fairways she hit all day. She then hit a wedge to 2 feet to set up a birdie.

She enthusiastically shook her first after dropping a 4-footer for another birdie on the next hole. Wie made a difficult downhill putt from 15 feet for birdie on her 13th hole and missed an eagle try from 25 feet on the following hole.

Wie got into a little trouble in the sand late, finishing bogey-par-birdie-bogey.

On Tuesday, Wie said she has accepted that her injured wrists will never be 100 percent again but are as good as they can be. Both wrists were injured last year but Wie kept playing, and struggling. She made only three cuts. In nine starts, she withdrew twice and only broke par twice in 19 rounds against women.

Wie has played well at Ko Olina, missing a playoff by a shot in the inaugural event in 2006.

She is starting the season against the women for the first time in five years. She previously opened at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open where she nearly made the cut as a 14-year-old when she shot a 68. But she wasn’t invited to play Waialae this year.