Woods defeats Cink in dramatic playoff
IN: News | US PGA | Bridgestone Invitational (2006) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 28 Aug 2006
By the time Tiger Woods hits his own pillow at the completion of this coming week's Deutsche Bank Championship, he will be desperate for a break. The pressure involved in winning four consecutive events on the PGA Tour, two of them majors and now this week's WGC Bridgestone Invitational again against the world's best must surely take its toll and he will be keen to recharge the batteries for the Ryder Cup now just three weeks away. It could be five successive wins by the time next Sunday rolls around also.
He will also be part of a US Ryder Cup two day team trip to Ireland this week to play the K Club layout, returning on Wednesday to play the Deutsche Bank event which fortunately for Tom Lehman and his team starts on Friday.
Unlike many other players, the pressure Woods is under comes not only on the golf course but off the golf course also and while he is not totally unique in that regard, the extent of the scrutiny is certainly at a much higher level than others. That is what makes his capacity to turn things around and make them happen rather than just letting them happen so intriguing and perhaps more than anything else the key to his success.
That he was able to put behind him some of the more bizarre and un-Tiger like occurrences this week and then go on to win a playoff that he appeared likely to lose at one point tells the story of Woods. The clubhouse incident on Friday that had so many wondering just how he could escape with a bogey when a triple bogey appeared to be likely after his flyer approach bounced onto and then over the clubhouse, then the four consecutive bogeys early in round three, might have brought undone a lesser player but not this man.
Woods trailed Stewart Cink into today's final round but when he birdied the 13th move to two under for the day and 11 under for the tournament, his lead was three and for all intents and purposes it appeared over. Cink, however, would have something to say on that. Perhaps inspired by Tom Lehman's confidence in him when granting Cink a wild card selection for the Ryder Cup, Cink birdied the par five 16th as Tiger was taking bogey and the difference was just one.
At the 17th Tiger putted first and missed from 30 feet or so and when Cink holed his birdie putt from 22 feet they were tied at 10 under. Jim Furyk had birdied the 16th to move within one of what would be the final winning total but was unable to make birdies at the 17th or 18th and he would eventually settle for third.
Both Woods and Cink parred the 72nd hole and so it was to sudden death. Both players missed the green at the first of the playoff holes, the 18th, but Tiger had an almost impossible pitch from long and left of the green. From a downhill lie and from thick grass he hit the most delicate of little pitches to four feet and although Cink's chip from the edge for birdie shaved the hole they headed to the 17th to continue the playoff. That was parred and so it was back to the 18th where both had seven foot chances to perhaps finish it but they didn't and so to the 17th again.
As rain began to bucket down both players hit their seconds to the par four. Woods finished six feet from the hole while Cink, perhaps in the worst of the weather, found the front bunker. Tiger made his putt to finish it there and then and won his tenth playoff in eleven attempts on the USPGA Tour. The only playoff he has lost is when runner up to Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open.
Woods, with prizemoney this season totalling US$7.6 million, has moved nearly US$2.5 million clear of Jim Furyk and the manner in which he is now controlling events means there could well be another US$3 million available to him to surpass last year's money record of US$10.6 million.
This was again a typical Woods victory. Not always at his best but good enough to repel any challenges.
The best of the Australasians was Adam Scott, who appeared on track for a special week after his opening 63 but lost his way from there. He eventually finished 10th. A very good finish but it was a case of what might have been.
Michael Campbell was 17th, Robert Allenby was 22nd, Nick O'Hern was 31st, Geoff Ogilvy 36th, Rod Pampling 45th, Aaron Baddeley and Mark Hensby 54th and Peter Lonard and Stuart Appleby 71st.
The PGA Tour now moves to Boston for this week's Deutsche Bank Championship starting on Friday.
Photo - Anthony Powter
