Playing without world No. 1 Tiger Woods, host Isleworth lost to rival Lake Nona 17-13 in the Tavistock Cup, a two-day match between PGA players from private clubs that concluded on Tuesday.
Lake Nona leveled the rivalry at 3-3 with one drawn by becoming the first club to win at the other’s course.
Woods had considered playing in the event, but said his preparations to return from a golf break in the wake of an infidelity scandal were not far enough along to allow him to compete.
Woods will make his comeback in two weeks at the Masters, the year’s first major championship at Augusta National Golf Club, where Woods played 36 practice holes on Monday and was to play again on Tuesday, according to Golf Digest.
Lake Nona seized a 6-4 lead in four-ball pairs matches on Monday ahead of 20 final-round singles matches on Tuesday with each player in each group playing against each member of the opposing duo in a foursome.
England’s Ross Fisher fired a three-under par 69 to beat American Lee Janzen by three strokes and India’s Arjun Atwal by 10 to give Isleworth two key points while Swede Peter Hanson’s 74 was enough to beat Atwal and lose to Janzen in a pivotal penultimate foursome.
When England’s Ian Poulter fired a 68 in the last round to beat Australian Robert Allenby and halved American J.B. Holmes, it was enough to clinch victory for Lake Nona, which added a final half-point when Sweden’s Henrik Stenson halved with Allenby.
Aussie Nick O’Hern fired a seven-under par 65 to defeat South African Ernie Els by four strokes and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell by two in the opening matches.
The two points for Isleworth were matched by Lake Nona when Els and Woods each finished ahead of England’s Brian Davis, who shot 75.
England’s Justin Rose completed an unbeaten run by shooting a 68 to collect two points for Lake Nona, downing US veteran Mark O’Meara by a stroke and Aussie Stuart Appleby by four.
O’Meara beat countryman Ben Curtis by three strokes but Curtis halved at 72 with Appleby, leaving Lake Nona three points ahead.
American Charles Howell answered for Isleworth, shooting a 68 to edge South Africa’s Retief Goosen by a stroke and South African Trevor Immelman by five.
American John Cook halved with Immelman at 73, losing a point to Goosen to leave the hosts trailing by two and setting the stage for the final drama.
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