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Dubai: Tiger Woods sounded a warning to his prospective Dubai Desert Classic rivals when demonstrating sparkling form in yesterday's Challenge Match played at the Emirates Golf Club's Par 3 course.
Partnered by Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, Woods finished in third place behind winners Henrik Stenson and Colin Montgomerie, but the world No 1 dazzled with his putter to suggest that he intends to reclaim the trophy he won in 2006.
Woods and Clarke were joined by a host of golf's big names, including Ernie Els, Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood, as they entertained fans in the charity match sponsored by Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Together they raised Dh108,000 for three UAE charities - the Al Noor Training Centre, Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre and Dubai Centre for Special Needs.
'Picking well'
Montgomerie, a champion here in 1996, joked that he "picks his partners well", a reference to defending Dubai Desert Classic champion Stenson who aced the closing 130-yard ninth hole.
Stenson celebrated the feat by taking his hat around the tee, in jest.
There were many light moments, that an event of this nature invariably throws up - like when local golf pro Ross Bain's tee-shot accidentally landed on a girl and when Els yelled 'retire' after missing a straightforward putt.
The players were fitted with microphones to allow spectators to listen in to their conversations during the round.
Woods's partner Clarke was in particularly good heart and was frequently heard shouting out "get in" or "shot partner".
But Woods appeared to be very focused as he used the opportunity to loosen up following his dominating eight-stroke victory in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in southern California on Sunday.
This is the year that he believes that a Grand Slam of all four Majors is "easily within reason".
Dubai-based Stenson has also indicated that he hopes to further improve over the next 12 months, and he looked like he has already raised the bar. "It was really fun playing the Challenge Match. We all enjoyed it," said the Swede. "It's good to get a hole-in-one playing on this course for only the second time.
"The hole-in-one was even more satisfying in the sense that it helped raise (more) money for our team's designated charity."
For the record, Stenson and Montgomerie completed their journey around the 1,239-yard course on seven-under to beat Northern Ireland's teen sensation Rory McIlroy and England's Westwood by one stroke.
All-star field
Woods and Clarke finished on five-under alongside the Els-Bjorn team, while England's David Howell and India's Jeev Milkha Singh, and America's Mark O'Meara and Bain completed the all-star field.
The teams were split into three groups and played in a two-ball betterball format on the par-27 course.
Results: Challenge Match (Par 3 Course):
- 1st (7-under): Henrik Stenson and Colin Montgomerie
- 2nd (6-under): Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood
- 3rd (5-under): Tiger Woods and Darren Clarke 5-under
- 4th (5-under): Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn 5-under
- 5th (1-under): David Howell and Jeev Milkha Singh 1-under
- 6th (Level Par): Mark O'Meara and Ross Bain.
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