Second seed Ernie Els was sensationally eliminated from the Accenture World Matchplay Championship at La Costa in California yesterday, as Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke eased through to the second round.

All the talk before yesterday's first round had centred on a possible Els-Tiger Woods showdown in the final of the tournament, but Els was eliminated on the second  extra hole by New Zealand's Phil Tatauragi, seeded 63.

The South African lost the first hole, but drew level with a birdie four at the third. Tatauragi regained the lead with a birdie on the par-four ninth, but Els  squared the match on the 16th, and went in front after  17 holes.

However, a birdie by Tatauragi on the par-five last forced the match into extra holes, and he went on to secure  an unlikely victory.

Harrington made it through the first round  for the first time in four attempts  - and did it in style.

The eighth seed was in control against American John Cook from the moment he hit a 181-yard seven-iron to within two inches of the hole at the 450-yard first and went on to win 4 and 3.

Clarke is also through to the second round where he will meet Davis Love after a 4 and 3 win over South Africa's Tim Clark.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, had a bogey-free round in his 2 and 1 win over Carl Pettersson.

Harrington considered not making the long trip because of his miserable record in the €6 million tournament, but had a spring in his step as he walked to the second tee.

"Not bad, was it?" he said.

He then birdied that from nine feet, the long third from nearly 40 and by the turn he was four up.

Cook, conqueror of second seed Phil Mickelson at the same stage last year, did birdie the 10th, but then ran up a bogey six on the next and could not stage a fightback.

"I'm pleased with that," said Harrington. "It's a long way to come and you don't want to be one of the 32 going home straightaway. It feels like a wasted journey.

"I was more relaxed about it this time, though, and after my start I just played very solid golf."

Clarke commented: "It's nice to come back to a place where you have done well and my expectations are growing all the time.

"I had a bit of a scrappy start - we both did - and was two down after five, but getting up and down at the ninth to turn one up gave me confidence and I pulled away on the back nine."

Woods had parred every hole to be two up with three to play, but when he had to birdie he did.

Pettersson chipped in at the short 16th, but the top seed holed a fast, curling 10-footer to preserve his advantage.

Woods halved the 17th to win 2 and 1, but fourth seed Retief Goosen was beaten 4 and 3 by American Jay Haas.

Colin Montgomerie suffered a 3 and 2 defeat to German Alex Cejka - his third opening-day exit in four visits to the event.

Montgomerie never led and his concession on the 16th completed a sad story a year after he was heckled in the tournament and vowed not to return to America - something he soon changed his mind about.

Three down after 13, Montgomerie won the next, but his approach to the 15th flew the green, hit a cart path and bounced over a television stand.

His attempted recovery caught the cart path again and bounded 18 feet past.

Bunkered off the first tee with Cejka 16 feet from the hole, Montgomerie came out 25 feet past the hole and did not even bother to putt.

"I did not play very well and that was it," the Scot said as he cleared his locker and headed away swiftly.

"I just did not play very well."

The greenkeeping staff at La Costa near San Diego had done a remarkable job in getting the course playable.

Fairways had been turned into lakes by Tuesday's real deluge, but although preferred lies were in operation, to be able to start on time surprised many.

Harrington said: "It was amazing because it rained during the night as well. I can tell you that because I was awake most of the time."

Justin Rose knocked former British Open champion David Duval out with a birdie two at the second extra hole.

The 22-year-old came from two down to two ahead with three to play.

The American, who has not won since his Open triumph at Lytham two years ago and is only the 28th seed this week after being ranked third last year, had a real chance on the 19th hole.

Rose was bunkered off the tee and bogeyed, but Duval three-putted, missing from six feet.

Rose then struck his tee-shot on the next to six feet and he made no mistake.

The English youngster, himself ranked 37th, next plays defending champion Kevin Sutherland.

Paul Lawrie, the other British and Irish Ryder Cup player in the field, lost 4 and 3 to Zimbabwe's Nick Price.

The first upset came in the very first match, ninth seed Chris DiMarco going down 2 and 1 to Japan's World Cup winner Toshi Izawa, the 56th seed.

Another shock came when fifth seed Sergio Garcia, who like Montgomerie missed the cut in the Nissan Open last week, lost to defending champion Kevin Sutherland, this year ranked 60th.