Tiger needs 12 birdies in 20 holes to win

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) — Tiger Woods made 12 birdies in 20 holes and needed every one of them Friday in a brilliant duel with Aaron Baddeley that sent the world’s No. 1 player into the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship.

Rarely has Woods played at such a high level, only to have another player match him step for step, birdie for birdie.

Baddeley, who shot 80 in the final round of the U.S. Open the last he played alone with Woods, was 1 up with three holes to play and twice had putts to end the match. A tough, 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole broke sharply below the hole, and Baddeley’s 12-foot eagle putt on the 19th hole burned the left edge of the cup, giving Woods new life.

Woods’ final birdie was from 13 feet, and it was good all the way. He removed his cap when the ball was still a foot away from dropping, and he looked relieved after winning his longest match in his nine years at this tense tournament.

“It was quality shot after quality shot,” Woods said. “Matches like that are fun to be a part of.”

Baddeley made 10 birdies, including five in a row to start the back nine, one of them conceded from 12 feet when Woods’ tee shot plunked a marshal on the head and went into the sagebrush of the Dove Mountain desert.

What the Australian needed was an eagle on the 19th hole. Instead, he became the latest victim to Woods, who has twice produced late rallies in his bid to continue a streak of victories dating to early September.

“I played great, you know?” Baddeley said. “I made him have to win it.”

Woods advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth time in nine years. He will face K.J. Choi, a 1-up winner over Paul Casey.