Stewart Cink reflected on a week of stirring performances that ended on a personal low after being crushed by fellow American Tiger Woods in Sunday's final at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Cink reached the final of the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event for the first time in nine attempts before tumbling to a record 8&7 defeat at Dove Mountain's Gallery Golf Club.

"I'm very proud of the way I played all week, until today," said Cink after losing the 36-hole encounter on the 29th green. "I'm disappointed I didn't throw a little more at Tiger, put some pressure on him. It wasn't that close a match.

"But overall, I'm very pleased with making it through with the players that I faced. I look back over the list of guys and, wow, it's pretty much like a list of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup from the last several years.

"I'm proud of that and I'm taking away a lot of positives from this week, but I'm disappointed about today."

Cink, who won the last of his four PGA Tour titles at the 2004 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, knocked out British Open champion Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie and U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera earlier in the week.

"I played extremely well every match, with the exception of my match against Colin Montgomerie," the 34-year-old said.

"But I putted really well and made five or six birdies to one or two bogeys, so I felt like I really came through when I needed to a lot of times.

"Today that wasn't the case," added Cink, who trailed Woods by four after the first eight holes of the morning.

"I was probably trying a little too hard to be perfect and not make any mistakes. But leading up to today I've played some of the best golf I've played in my whole career."

Cink knew he faced an uphill task against the world number one who had previously clinched 14 WGC crowns in 25 starts.

"He just has such a strong sense of belief in himself that he's just never out of it," he said. "He's never going to mess up. He's just always in control. He never loses his composure.

"He gets mad...but he never loses his composure.

"He always stays very poised and he doesn't very often throw away a shot. In match play, especially a 36-hole match, if your opponent is not ever really opening the door then you've got to do something spectacular. I just didn't."