Woods: Too early to compare match play to a major

Tiger Woods said it's way too early to start comparing the $5 million Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship to the four major championships.

"I don't think it will come close to the Players' Championship for quite a while. I think it's probably what the best players would consider the fifth major," Woods said after he was knocked out of the Match Play Championship, losing 2 and 1 to Jeff Maggert.

"Granted, this is the top 64 players, it is match play, but it's in its infancy stage and it's like comparing the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup. You really can't."

And after four rounds of upsets, all the big names and high seeds have been sent home. At No. 24, Maggert is the highest seed left heading in Saturday's semifinals at La Costa Resort.

RANKINGS TALK: ABC is probably cringing over the semifinal matchups between Maggert and Steve Pate, and John Huston and Andrew Magee. But Maggert said he's hardly surprised that players in the bottom half of the rankings have played so well.

"I think it is very obvious that David Duval and Tiger are the best players in the world over the last couple of years going by their record," Maggert said after his upset of Woods. "But once you get past those two guys, in my opinion, everyone is pretty much equal. And as well as David and Tiger have played, they are not head and shoulders above the rest of the players out here."

GOTTA LOOK GOOD, ANDREW: Andrew Magee is measuring his success by how much work he has to do. Not on the golf course, but in his hotel room.

Walking off the 18th green after a 1-up victory over Bill Glasson in the third round Friday morning, Magee said: "I keep having to iron another shirt every night."

Magee had to go back to the ironing board Friday night, because he beat Japan's Shigeki Maruyama 1-up in the quarterfinals to earn a spot in Saturday's semis against John Huston.

HOMESICK: Magee, who lives in Arizona, said he misses not being in the Tucson Open this weekend. But, considering what's he's done here this week, winning four matches in three days, he quickly added: "Right now I'm feeling pretty good."

And he's set himself up for his biggest payday ever. This weekend's checks will range from $300,000 for the consolation match loser to $1 million for the winner of Sunday's 36-hole championship match. His biggest check was for $270,000 after winning the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational.

"I'm just as just as surprised as all you guys that I'm here," Magee said in the interview room.

CASHING OUT: Woods leaves La Costa with a total of $250,000. He got $150,000 for reaching the quarterfinals and a $100,000 bonus for winning Bank of America's "King of the Swing" title. He got the most points awarded during the PGA Tour's West Coast swing.