It was a big day for England, which had five players advance to the third round, same as the Americans. Leading the way was Oliver Wilson, who made eight birdies and needed them all in a 2-and-1 victory over Anthony Kim.

Woods wound up playing 32 holes, and said everything felt great — except for losing.

“I was really pleased, walking down these cart paths, and obviously playing and getting into the rhythm of playing,” Woods said. “I have no soreness, have no pain. Now it’s just a matter of getting back and playing, and playing more rounds.”

One shot that gets overlooked is one Clark never expected to make.

He was on the back end of the fifth green, two tiers above the hole, when he jokingly asked Woods to move his marker one spot over. Moments later, however, Clark asked him to tamp down his coin. Then, his putt rolled right over Woods’ mark, down the ridge and broke left toward the cup. Clark raised his arm and pointed his index finger as the birdie putt made its final turn.

Woods beat Clark, 5 and 4, in the second round two years ago. That wound up helping the South African.

“I knew what to expect,” Clark said. “I knew how I reacted to it then, and I kind of knew a few things that I had to do differently. I just tried to calm myself down.”

That wasn’t easy on the 14th, when Clark was poised to put him away.

Woods was in the bunker when he holed it out for birdie, and Clark remembered what happened last year when Woods rallied from three holes down with a birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle blitz against J.B. Holmes.

“I figured, ’Well, here we go. It’s about to start now,”’ Clark said. “I figured the match was probably going to go to 18, even when I was 3-up with three to play. You fully expect him to do something.”

Except leave this early.

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