Tiger Woods defeated Davis Love three and two in Sunday’s 36-hole final to retain his title at the elite Match Play Championship.
”It was a tough day, but I hung in there,” said Woods, who was one down to Love at the halfway point of the match.
”I made a lot of putts and hit my irons decent. But I really putted well. I was able to make putts at the right time and get momentum on my side.”
As well as retaining his title in the $7-million event, part of the World Golf Championships (WGC), Woods captured his first title of 2004. His next start will be on Thursday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
”Another 18-hour trip and we’re golden,” Woods said.
It was Woods’s eighth title in 14 official events in the WGC series and his 40th on the US PGA Tour.
But he struggled over the first 18 holes of the final, missing seven of 14 fairways, many by large distances.
Woods’s saving grace was the par-fives. He birdied all four of them, winning three and halving the other to stay in touch after 18 holes.
”What killed me was the par-fives. I was either tying the hole with him or letting him beat me,” Love said.
Instead of using the short lunch break to eat, Woods went to the range and hit balls in an effort to find his swing.
He played much better in the afternoon, never dropping a shot as he kept relentless pressure on Love, who inevitably cracked.
Woods won the 20th hole to draw even and won three in a row from the 25th to go three-up with nine to play. Love had a chance to cut the gap at the 29th but missed a four-footer.
”I played pretty good, I just didn’t have it on the greens today,” Love said.
From there, it was pretty much a victory parade for Woods, who collected $1,2-million for his efforts.
Love was distracted by a heckler early in the afternoon round and eventually demanded the man be removed. Whether it was coincidence or not, he didn’t play well after that.
For both of the finalists it was their third 36-hold day in a row after rain washed out play on Thursday.
In the 18-hole third-place match, Ulsterman Darren Clarke won the final two holes to beat Australian Stephen Leaney two-up.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Woods beat Leaney two and one. Love needed 21 holes to defeat Clarke. — Sapa-AFP