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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

There is an old Chinese proverb that reads, "you have to fell a tree to make a bowl of rice." Or there is the old children's story the Tortoise and the Hare. Perhaps an Aesop Fable like the Lion and the Mouse. Something has to explain what I watched today. The only historical reference that comes close is the story of David and Goliath.

Today it was Nick O'Hern playing David to Tiger Woods' Goliath again. Nick bested Tiger in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa in 2005. But today at The Gallery at Dove Mountain (I still don't get the name), the odds in favor of the world's No. 1 player were even greater.

Nick O'Hern pulled off a huge upset on Friday. (Grayson/WireImage)

It was a miserable day by all accounts. After two perfect days in the desert, Friday brought cold winds, battleship gray skies and even a few moments of freezing rain. Colder weather in the desert affects play in a number of ways. On sunny, warm days the ball tends to fly quite a bit farther in the desert than it does in less arid climates. On cold days the ball doesn't jump at all and courses can play extremely long. Furthermore, when it is windy a player has to vary the trajectory of his ball flight.

Obviously Tiger can unleash the big stick with a ferocity that few in professional golf can match. A better ball striker and shot maker would be hard to find in the modern game. So in addition to being the No. 1 player in the world and a two-time champion of the event, the conditions on Friday favored Tiger.

By contrast, Nick O'Hern has a game that is far less impressive than his ranking or his record. The lanky Australian lefty plays a consistent but comparatively short fade off the tee. On holes that Tiger hit his patented stinger 3-wood off the tee Nick was able to keep the distance between their balls reasonable. When Tiger unleashed the wrath of his oversized driver, he put 50 yards between his ball and Nick's.

The first six holes played directly back into the cold westerly wind. On the first five holes, Nick only hit two full-iron shots. They were both third-shot approaches to par 5s. As a matter of fact, Nick was forced to pull a headcover off the club he approached the green with a handful of times. By my count, Nick hit a total of 27 woods on Friday. Twenty-six of those he pulled out of his bag during the course of the round. The 27th was Tiger.

As an old caddy in Pinehurst once told me, the game is counted not measured. Today that adage was once again proven. The shocking developments started early and lasted all day. Tiger struggled with his control at the beginning and was forced to concede three holes early. Then, as if scripted, Tiger came roaring back and squared the match with three holes remaining

Nick O'Hern remained steadfast throughout the barrage, chipping away at Tiger with consistency and accuracy. Even when Tiger looked to have Nick in his sights on the first extra hole, Nick dodged the body shot and came back with a knockout punch of his own.

The match will be remembered as much for the putt that Tiger missed on the first extra hole as it will for the one that Nick made on the next green. What shocked me was the fact that Tiger had a putt from outside 3 feet. He ran his chip shot from the front fringe on the par-5 first past the hole. An aggressive play considering his opponent was also in the front fringe in three. I, along with the several thousand fans who lined the ropes, was certain that Tiger would make birdie at the par 5.

The story ended on the 20th hole, another par 4 requiring a driver and a hybrid club for Nick to reach the green. His par was good enough to advance to the quarterfinals. For Tiger and his legion of fans the story ended with a cruel twist of fate. For Nick O'Hern the fairytale continues. Once again he felled the tree known as Tiger. He was the tortoise, the mouse and David all wrapped in a tall, narrow, left-handed package.