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Golf

Woods gets help to finally prevail

Tiger Woods birdies No.6 to pull within one during the final round of the Buick Invitational, which he won by three strokes.

Associated Press
Published January 24, 2005

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SAN DIEGO - Ending the longest stroke-play drought of his PGA Tour career, Tiger Woods made it through a 31-hole Sunday at Torrey Pines by taking advantage of everyone else's mistakes and one bad break for Charles Howell to win the Buick Invitational.

Woods almost made the biggest blunder of all.

Up one and trying to reach the par-5 18th green in two, his shot landed on a strip of fairway to the right of the big pond.

Woods ended the suspense by making an 18-foot birdie putt to close with 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory over Howell, Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman and Luke Donald.

It was his first PGA Tour stroke-play victory since the American Express Championship in October 2003, a span of 21 events. He won the Dunlop Phoenix, an outside event in Japan in November, but won only the Match Play Championship last year on the tour.

"It's hard to believe it's been that long (since I won) on our tour," said Woods, who added he expects to next play at the Nissan Open starting Feb.17.

"The big win for me was in Japan. That's when I began to finally put all the pieces together. I've played well ever since."

After Woods bogeyed his first three holes, he ended his fog-delayed third round of 72 with bogey on the par-5 ninth.

During the fourth round, he had to scramble for par on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes. And with a chance to build a two-shot lead on the 17th, Woods missed a 6-foot birdie putt.

Lehman went toe to toe with Woods during the final six holes and hit better shots on most of them. But he caught a plugged lie in the bunker on No.17 to make bogey and fall one shot behind.

Needing a birdie at the 18th, Lehman hit a fat wedge that barely got over the water. He wound up making bogey.

"For 30 holes I held my own, and I really liked my chances," Lehman said after closing with 73. "I'm really ticked off that I didn't win."

Woods finished at 16-under 272 and earned $864,000, putting him atop the tour money list for the first time since Vijay Singh won at Disney in October 2003. Singh completed his 68 but closed with 75 and finished out of the top 10 for the first time since he became No.1 in September, a streak of eight tournaments.

It was Woods' largest final-round comeback, three shots, since he rallied from five behind at Pebble Beach five years ago. But this time, Woods had to rely on everyone around him.

Donald had gone 37 holes without bogey until he hit a 6-iron over the 14th green and into the hazard for double bogey. One shot behind, he pulled his tee shot into the hazard on No.17 and had to scramble for bogey. He shot 73.

Howell hit a perfect shot but was not rewarded. His sand wedge from 95 yards on No.18 hit the bottom of the pin and part of the cup then ricocheted back and into the pond.

"I knew I hit the shot perfect," Howell said. "And then to hit the hole and go into the water, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Obviously, it's a crazy game."

He took a penalty drop, spun a wedge off the green and chipped in for bogey to shoot 72. Had the shot gone in, there would have been a playoff.

Quigley wins in playoff

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii - Dana Quigley made a 3-foot par putt on the third playoff hole and beat a faltering Tom Watson to win the season-opening MasterCard Championship for the second time in three years. Watson, who led after the first two rounds, including 3-up Saturday, made bogey after he hit into the lava behind the 17th green.

The 57-year-old Quigley, a nine-time winner on the 50-and-over, closed with 6-under 66 to match Watson (70) at 18-under 198. Watson, 1-7 in playoffs on the Champions Tour, could have won in regulation, but missed a 9-foot birdie putt.

EUROPEAN PGA: Tim Clark shot 6-under 66 to win the South African Open by six shots in Durban. Clark entered tied with Tjaart van der Walt, Hendrik Buhrmann and Titch Moore, then made two birdies on the front nine. The others fell back, van der Walt and Moore shooting 74s and Buhrmann 75. Gregory Havret shot 69 and Charl Schwartzel 68 to tie for second.

[Last modified January 24, 2005, 14:39:03]