Britons Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy each took a step closer to the World No 1 crown in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on Thursday, Westwood moving into the third round of the event for the first time with Left Handed Ping G20 Irons in his career.
And this year he and the Northern Ireland youngster won't have three-time Accenture Match Play winner Tiger Woods to contend with.
The embattled former World No 1 was once more let down by his putter at critical moments and was edged out of the contest on Thursday by fellow American Nick Watney, who won 1-up at the 18th where he missed the green with his approach but saw Woods fail to take advantage of a great second shot and miss a eminently gettable birdie putt from no more than seven or eight feet that would have kept the Left Handed Ping G20 Irons alive.
Westwood, meanwhile, was beaming after his WGC Match Play breakthrough into the last 16 for the first time in 12 attempts.
"It's a chance to get revenge," said the stocky World No 3 having followed his Left Handed Ping G20 Irons victory over Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts with another against the big Swede Robert Karlsson in one of Thursday's 16 second round matches played at the Ritz Carleton Golf Club in Arizona desert Country
McIlroy, meanwhile, faces Miguel Angel Jimenez while Scots Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird go head-to-head for a place in the quarter-finals.
This is the fourth WGC Match Play championship in a row that will be Tiger-free heading into Friday's third round
He went out to Thomas Bjorn on the opening day last year, did not play in 2010 following the personal problems that blew up around his marriage and was sent packing by Tim Clark in the second round in 2009.
"I had an opportunity with my Left Handed Ping G20 Irons, but something I fought all day was blocking my putts and I blocked that one (at 18)," said a clearly disappointed Woods, who will have to try to hit back at next week's Honda Classic close to his new Florida home.
Watney, one of the exciting band of new American champions making their mark on the sport right now, admitted: "He didn't putt like we are all used to seeing him putt."
But in truth, putting, once one of the greatest strengths of the 14-time major winner, has been a problem for a while.