Isleworth, Lake Nona Share Tavistock Cup

By MERCER BAGGS
Managing Editor, GolfChannel.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – First it was halved. Then it was extended. And finally it ended in a draw.
 
The second-annual Tavistock Cup finished in a tie Tuesday, when a sudden-death playoff to determine the winner was called due to darkness.
 

Host Isleworth Country Club and Lake Nona Golf and Country Club ended the one-day competition in an 8 ½-8 ½ tie.
 
The two teams then sent out their two lowest scorers on the day for a playoff. Tiger Woods (66) and Lee Janzen (70) represented Isleworth, while South Africans Ernie Els (68) and Retief Goosen (67) played for Lake Nona.
 
And as it turned out, the tournament had quite a South African feeling in the end.
 
Playing a four-man, better-ball format, the two sides tied each of the three playoff holes contested. Officials and players from both sides agreed to call it a draw, as darkness enveloped Isleworth.
 
The first extra hole was halved with pars. Els made a 12-footer for par to keep his team alive. Both Woods and Janzen had birdie putts to win, but both missed.
 
Isleworth appeared to have the advantage on the second extra hole, until Goosen rolled in a 30-foot birdie. This time, Woods made his 18-footer for birdie to extend the match.
 
On the third and final hole of sudden death, both Woods and Janzen were outside of 25 feet for birdie, while Goosen and Els were inside of 15 feet. All four players missed their putts. And with sunlight rapidly dwindling, both sides shook hands on a tie.
 
The end was a familiar one to Els and Woods. The two battled one-on-one in a sudden-death playoff to determine the 2003 Presidents Cup in George, South Africa. After three holes, that event was also declared a draw due to darkness.
 
"Seems like we're making this a habit of this," Els said, "playing in the darkness and finishing in a tie."
 
Said Woods, who thought the tie was fitting: "The whole idea was to have fun and to entertain the crowd. I think we did that."
 
The two teams split the purse (each player received $87,500) and will each get to showcase the trophy for six months over the next year, before the re-match is again contested at Isleworth in 2006.
 
The scheduled two-day tournament was reduced to just one day of competition after The Players Championship spilled over into Monday. Tuesday featured 17 singles matches between members and residents of the two Orlando enclaves.