Golf: Woods ready for the Wentworth test

IT WAS at Wentworth 42 years ago that Ben Hogan made his one and only appearance in England, and played for the only other time in Britain after winning the Open at Carn-oustie three years earlier.

Hogan played with Sam Snead over the West Course and won the World Cup for the United States, Hogan winning the individual honours. Just a handful of the more elderly golfing observers remember being taken by their fathers to watch the revered duo.

Modern communications have lessened the impact of seeing great sporting figures from overseas. But there is still a sense of anticipation, despite the fact that he has played in the Open and was at St Andrews only last week, as Tiger Woods plays for the first time in this leafy corner of Surrey.

The world No 1 is the favourite for the Cisco World Match Play Championship, but seeded second behind Vijay Singh, the defending champion. Whether the 22-year-old takes to the West Course as easily as Hogan or Arnold Palmer, who won the inaugural World Match Play in 1964, remains to be seen.

Woods has arrived with the flu but without Hughes Norton, his manager. He was the man who signed Woods for Mark McCormack's International Management Group when the young prodigy turned professional in 1996. Norton is well known for his aggressive marketing, having made Greg Norman into a huge success off the course over 11 years before the Shark fired him in 1992.

Woods has made $150m (pounds 88m) in endorsements - Nike, Titleist, American Express and Rolex among them - since his arrival on the scene but has now put a moratorium on any new deals. He will be handled for the time being by Alistair Johnston, the head of IMG's golf division and the man who took over from McCormack as Palmer's commercial agent.

"We are in a transition mode with respect to the executive team assigned to Tiger," Johnston said. Woods, however, has committed to IMG beyond 2004, but presumably on condition that he is left more time to concentrate on his golf.

"The decision came down to a fundamental difference," Earl Woods, Tiger's father, said. "For Hughes, the dollar is almighty. For Tiger, money is not that important. And Hughes underestimated Tiger's personal growth and his grasp of his own business."

Tiger added: "It's something that's a change I needed to make in my life. It was the right time, that's about it. I'm very comfortable with the position I'm in right now."

His attraction to this event was simple. "It's not only matchplay, which we don't get the chance to play that often, but it's against the best players in the world. I've always liked to go one-on-one." As for his record in the format, he won six USGA titles as an amateur.

After playing the full course for the first time in yesterday's pro-am - he employed a local caddie to help his regular bagman get to know the greens - Woods will have another practice round today thanks to his bye into tomorrow's second round.

After playing the winner of today's match between Darren Clarke and Ian Woosnam, Woods is scheduled to meet Ernie Els in Saturday's semi-final. The South African himself first has to get past Lee Westwood or Stuart Appleby. "It is a tough draw," Els said. Was he looking forward to playing Tiger? "No, not really. It will be a tough match to win but I'm not running scared. I'm not playing as well as in past years here but whoever they throw at me, I'll try and play well and win."

Having won the title three times in a row before losing to Singh in the final last year, Els has the record five victories of Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros in his sights.

WORLD MATCH PLAY (Wentworth): Today's tee-off times (numbers in brackets indicate seeded positions): O845 and 1300: (8) S Stricker (US) v P Sjoland (Swe). Winner to play (1) V Singh (Fiji); 0900 and 1315: (5) C Montgomerie (GB) v T Bjorn (Den). Winner to play (4) M O'Meara (US); 0915 and 1330: (6) L Westwood (GB) v S Appleby (Aus). Winner to play (3) E Els (SA); 0930 and 1345: (7) D Clarke (GB) v I Woosnam (GB). Winner to play (2) T Woods (US).