Tiger prepared for the unpredictable at Dove Mountain

MARANA, Arizona, Feb 21 (Reuters) Tiger Woods, hunting an eighth consecutive PGA Tour title at this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, knows just about anything can happen in head-to-head golf.

As a raw 13-year-old, he gained his first experience of the match-play format in a Southern California junior tournament where he lost in the quarter-finals, despite outscoring his opponent.

''It was something that I didn't understand because I won two or three matches and got to the quarters,'' the world number one told reporters at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club yesterday.

''I shot 69 that day, got to the 18th hole and lost. I didn't quite understand that.

''I came home and told dad: 'I don't understand. I shot a better score than he did, but he won the match. That doesn't seem right.' ''Dad then explained it to me. That was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that before. We went out the next couple days and played match play.'' Eighteen years later, Woods has become one of the greatest players in history, regardless of the playing format.

VERY BEST Driven to be the very best of all time, he has piled up 12 major titles with only Jack Nicklaus ahead of him on 18.

A twice winner of the Accenture Match Play Championship, he has triumphed 12 times in World Golf Championships (WGC) events in 22 starts.

The bigger the tournament, the more likely it is that Woods will shine and this week's event has assembled 64 of the top 65 players in the game, the strongest field of the year.

Although Woods has reached the Accenture Match Play Championship final three times, his only loss coming to Britain's Darren Clarke in 2000, he has also experienced early disappointment.

In 2002, he lost to Peter O'Malley in the opening round and three years later he was beaten by another Australian, Nick O'Hern, at the second stage.

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