Woods makes it five at Bay Hill
IN: News | US PGA | Arnold Palmer Invitational (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 17 Mar 2008
There is little doubt that Tiger Woods knows where the finishing line is, today once again proving that the time to be in front in any tournament is at the 72nd hole. His brilliant final hole birdie from 24 feet at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, put paid to a brave challenge by Bart Bryant and in doing so the 32-year-old has joined Ben Hogan as the third highest (64) winner of events on the PGA Tour.
Woods has now won this event on five occasions trailing the Buick Invitational, the WGC Bridgestone and the WGC-CA events (6) in terms of his number of victories in a single event. Woods gets another chance this week in Miami at the WGC-CA event to take his record in any one event to seven victories and trail only Sam Snead who won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.
At the halfway stage this week, the odds being offered early in the week on a fifth Tiger Woods victory in the event seemed ridiculously short. 18 holes later, after a third round of 66, he was again to man to beat as he, Vijay Singh, Sean O’Hair and Bart Bryant took a four way share of the lead into day four.
Woods appeared likely to blow the field apart when he turned in three under and had moved to 9 under and was in control – or so it seemed. Bryant was playing in the group ahead of Woods and O’Hair and when he had birdied the 10th he moved back within one of Woods and just a few minutes later when Woods three putted the same hole the pair was tied in the lead at eight under.
Despite a bogey by Bryant at the 11th hole, the tournament essentially developed into a duel between Woods and Bryant over the closing seven holes. Bryant bounced back from his bogey at the 11th with birdies at the 12th and 15th while Woods birdied the 13th from 15 feet and with two holes to play the pair remained deadlocked at 9 under.
Bryant hit a good four iron left of the flag at the 17th and two putted for par and then found the fairway at the 18th. Behind, Woods faced a 22 foot birdie putt at the 17th which pulled up just short and as he walked to the 18th tee, Bryant hit his approach at the dangerous last 40 feet left of the flag. He hit a fine putt to less than a foot and the subsequent par meant that Woods needed par to force the playoff or birdie to win outright.
Woods hit three wood from the tee at the last and found the left half of the fairway giving himself the perfect angle to the back right flag. As the wind swirled and strengthened he required the most precise of irons shots if he was to give himself a realistic chance to secure the birdie he needed to break the deadlock. He hit that very shot but still faced a 24 foot sliding left to right putt.
As Bryant watched on in hope, Woods hit the absolute perfect putt.
“I was just trying to get good speed on that,” said Woods after his round. “All week I was trying not to leave myself second putts and what did I do on the 10th today – I ran it past and missed the one coming back so I just wanted to make sure I got the pace right on that one at the last and it went in.”
“It was just a great day. I hit the ball well all day, and Bart played great on especially the back nine, forced the issue on 18 and by posting 9; all day we were trying to get to 10. I figured 10 at the worst we would be in a playoff. I 3-putted there at 10, and felt like, you know, I still had eight more holes to get to 10 but unfortunately it took me all eight holes.”
“The great thing about the last hole, that was my best swing I made all week with the 5-iron I hit in there. The wind had totally switched. It was blowing off the left on 17, in off the left and now was in off the right on 18. So hit a 5-iron up there and held just a flat hill hold shot and felt great.
“The putt, I was just trying to make sure I got the speed right. Now that green has a little bit more grass on it, and the grain has a little bit more effect on it, and I gave it just a little bit more. I hit the putt down there, and it took forever to start breaking and for the grain to start taking it; but once it started taking it, it went straight right and went in the hole.”
Woods had won by a shot over Bryant with a further shot back to Cliff Kresge, Sean O’Hair and Vijay Singh the latter of whom lost his chance to successfully defend the Arnold Palmer Invitational title with an extraordinarily horror stretch on Saturday when he dropped five shots in four holes in an outward nine of 40.
“It’s amazing to be in that type of company,” added Woods referring to the fact that he had caught Hogan’s number of USPGA Tour victories.
The best of the Australians was Geoff Ogilvy, who seems to be running into form after an indifferent start to 2008. Ogilvy’s final round of 66 saw him finish in 14th place, while John Senden and Matt Jones were 48th and Steve Elkington 64th.
The PGA Tour now moves to either Miami or Puerto Rico next week for the WGC-CA event at Doral Spa and Resort or the Puerto Rico Open for those not sufficiently qualified for the WGC event.
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