Tiger Woods shot a bogey-free five-under-par 66 on Sunday to overtake a fading Colin Montgomerie and win the $5,25-million World Challenge.
”It was so exciting that the things I was working on started to come together,” he said. ”It’s nice not to have a big laundry list out there [heading into next season].”
Woods won in 2001 but had finished second the last two years.
He started the last round tied for second, two strokes adrift of Montgomerie, but he birdied three of the first five holes while Montgomery bogeyed two of the first four.
While Scotland’s Montgomerie managed a par 71, Woods vaulted to the top of the leaderboard.
He held off Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and finished at 16-under 268, two shots better than Harrington.
It was a solid finish to a disappointing season for Woods, who did not win a stroke play event on the PGA Tour this year and was unseated as the world’s top-ranked player for the first time in five years.
”I had to take baby steps and I did that all year,” said Woods, who reconstructed his swing.
”I was working in the right direction. Sometimes it might have been three, four holes in one round that I played great, the way I know I can, and then the rest of it wasn’t so good.
”Then eventually it became nine holes and 18, then 36 and 54, now a whole tournament.”
Throughout the season, Woods often claimed he was ”close” to regaining the form that made him golf’s irrepressible force.
He proved he was right with stroke play wins here and in Japan in the last month.
”It looks like he’s working on the right things,” Harrington said.
”I’ve got to say, looking at him, he seems to be getting things back.”
Woods won this event with excellent ball-striking that stood up against a heckler who was following him around the 6 988-yard Sherwood Country Club course and shouting during his backswing.
The heckler was removed after Woods saved par at the 16th hole to keep his lead.
”How about that guy?” Woods said. ”I obviously was agitated and had to get my focus back, try to put it out of me.
”The tournament was still on. If I missed that putt, I only have a one-shot lead with two holes.”
With a two-shot cushion, Woods parred his way in and collected the $1,25-million first prize, all of which will go to his many charitable foundations.
Harrington finished at 270, one stroke better than Montgomerie and Jay Haas (69), who joined Woods and Harrington as the only players with four rounds in the 60s.
Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain carded a 70-273. Fiji’s Vijay Singh, the PGA Tour Player of the Year who supplanted Woods at number one, shot a second straight 68 and finished at 5-under 279. – Sapa-AFP