Woods leaves Fluff at home.

Tiger Woods sees the Match Play Championship as a chance to help a friend pay for medical school -- even if that means leaving Fluff Cowan off the bag this week with a $1 million first prize on the line.

For the second time in three weeks, Woods' popular and proven caddie will be staying home. In his place is Bryon Bell, a 23-year-old college graduate who is trying to get in to medical school.

"It's a chance to help put a guy through medical school," Woods said Wednesday. "I feel pretty good about having a chance to do that."

Cowan was the longtime caddie for Peter Jacobsen, then took Woods' bag when he turned pro after winning his third straight U.S. Amateur. Woods won twice in just eight starts, then soared to the top of golf by winning the Masters and three other tournaments.

Woods said he's not having any problems with Cowan, and said Cowan didn't mind taking the week off.

"He's been taken pretty good care of," Woods said.

Woods has won nearly $6 million alone in the PGA Tour, meaning Cowan has probably earned close to $600,000 in less than three years as his caddie.

Bell and Woods have been friends since junior high school, and they played high school golf together in Cypress, Calif. He recently graduated from the University of California-San Diego and has applications out to several medical schools.

That Woods would use a friend as a caddie in a major event is surprising, although Woods says Bell has a good track record.

For one thing, Bell was on the bag in the Buick Invitational, when Woods eagled the last hole for a two-stroke win over Billy Ray Brown and his first victory in nine months. Bell also caddied for him when Woods won the Southern California Amateur, and U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament and the 1996 U.S. Amateur.

"We've never lost a tournament together," Woods said. ``Being 4-0, I'd say that's a pretty good record."

Bell was stepping off the yardage Tuesday at La Costa Resort, but said he doesn't get too involved with club selection.

A victory by Woods, ranked No. 1 in the world, would be worth about $100,000 to Bell and probably take care of medical school costs. Woods earned $486,000 for winning the Buick Invitational, and Bell put tuition and cost-of-living for four years of school at about $150,000.

Cowan was on the bag last week when Woods finished two strokes behind winner Ernie Els, but Bell said he wasn't too surprised when Woods asked him to join him at La Costa.

"After the Buick, I figured anything was possible," he said.