Nick Watney stays up from the 10th to the 18th. — Reuters picMARANA, Arizona, Feb 24 —Tiger Woods’ bid for a first PGA Tour victory in over two years ended prematurely yesterday when he lost one-down to fellow American Nick Watney at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The former world No. 1 struggled with his putting on the heavily contoured greens at Dove Mountain’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and never got back on level terms after going one down at the 10th.

Though Woods won the par-three 16th after his opponent’s tee shot sailed over the grandstand at the back of the green to trim the deficit from two-down, he missed a six-foot birdie putt at the 18th to keep the second-round match alive.

Woods, a three-times winner of the event, had scraped through his opening match on Wednesday one up against Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

The 14-times major chamnpion has not triumphed on the PGA Tour since the 2009 BMW Championship.  — Reuters