There really is no holding Tiger Woods. For the second time this week, the world No 1 looked dead and buried at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, only to come through for victory in an outstanding game against Aaron Baddeley, in which the duo shared 22 birdies.

Woods was matched shot for shot by the young Australian before emerging triumphant with a 13-foot match-winning birdie at the second extra hole at the Gallery Golf Club.

Baddeley had played brilliantly throughout the match and would have been ruing two missed chances to seal a famous victory. At the 18th, he had a ten-foot putt that would have closed out the match and then he proceeded to miss another from 12 feet for an eagle and victory at the first extra hole.

As Butch Harmon, the coach and television analyst, had said earlier in the week — “When you have Woods down, you have got to put him away”. In the first round, Woods had been three down with five to play against J. B. Holmes before storming through for victory. Now it was Baddeley’s turn to be on the receiving end.

“That was unbelievable,” Woods said. “When I started out on tour I had a full head of hair.” The implication was that he would have lost plenty after this week.

At the start of the third round, three of the previous Europe Ryder Cup team were vying for places in the quarter-finals — Colin Montgomerie, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson. But after a generally disappointing day, it has been left to Stenson, the defending champion, to carry the flag for Europe. Montgomerie went down to Stewart Cink, of the United States, and Casey lost to K. J. Choi, of South Korea.

Montgomerie will have been left wondering quite how he managed to lose 4 and 2 to a player who drove poorly throughout the match, but who wielded a magic wand for a putter. The Scot got off to a good start when the American gifted him the 1st hole, but his hopes of reaching the next round were dashed when he lost three out of four holes from the 13th.

All square at the turn, Cink took the lead for the first time at the 10th, when he rolled in a putt of about 15 feet in what was a sign of things to come. With birdies at the 13th, 15th and one from 17 feet at the 16th, Cink wrapped up proceedings to go through to a quarter-final match against Ángel Cabrera, who beat Steve Stricker 4 and 3.

Montgomerie had been looking for a good week here in order to move closer to the world top 50, which would get him into the Masters at Augusta in April. He will be disappointed to find that this result will hardly have dented his position when the rankings are announced on Monday.

Casey came up against an inspired Choi, who won the first three holes with birdies at each of them.

Stenson, who took 25 holes to dispatch Trevor Immelman in the second round, was taken the distance once again before securing a victory by one hole over Jonathan Byrd. He will meet Woody Austin today, a player he narrowly beat at Wentworth last year.

Results

Third round (United States unless stated): Á Cabrera (Arg) bt S Stricker 4 and 3; W Austin bt B Weekley 3 and 2; S Cink bt C Montgomerie (GB) 4 and 2; H Stenson (Swe) bt J Byrd 1 hole; J Leonard bt S Appleby (Aus) 3 and 2; K J Choi (S Kor) bt P Casey (GB) 2 holes; T Woods bt A Baddeley (Aus) at 20th; V Singh bt R Pampling (Aus) at 25th.

Draws

Quarter-finals: Austin v Stenson; Choi v Woods; Cabrera v Cink; Leonard v Singh.

Semi-finals: Austin or Stenson v Choi or Woods; Cabrera or Cink v Leonard or Singh.