Tiger claims seventh career win at WGC-Cadillac
Tiger Woods won his second tournament in four starts on the PGA TOUR this year by capturing the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship on Sunday at the breezy TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral in Miami, Fla, taking home the $1,530,000 winner’s purse.
It marked his seventh win in the event, his 17th WGC title, and was his 76th career victory on the PGA TOUR, second only to Sam Snead (82), who was 45 when he won his 76th tournament.
The 37-year-old Woods, who led wire-to-wire, closed with a 1-under-par 71 to finish at 19-under 269, two strokes ahead of Steve Stricker. The latter gave him a 45-minute putting lesson on the eve of the tournament.
Asked how many shots Stricker saved him at Doral, Tiger smiled and said, “All that matters is two.”
Stricker was happy for his friend.
“We talk a lot about putting,” he said. “It’s the nature of the game. Everybody helps one another out here. It’s good to see him playing well.”
For the week, Woods used 100 putts, the fewest of his PGA TOUR career. He ranked second in the 65-player field in putts per round (25) and strokes gained in putting (1.969).
Woods, who began the final round with a four-stroke cushion over Graeme McDowell, is now 40-2 on the PGA TOUR when holding the outright lead after 54 holes and has never lost a full-field event when leading by three or more strokes.
“He controlled his iron play phenomenally,” said McDowell, who played with him the last two rounds and wound up tying for third. “His short game was immaculate. He really putted well. He played fantastic golf the last two days.”
Entering the final round, Woods had accumulated a career-high 24 birdies the first three rounds. He added three more Sunday, one shy of his 72-hole record of 28 set in the 2007 Tour Championship and 2006 Buick Open. Tiger also collected 27 birdies at the 2005 Ford Championship and the 1997 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Despite tying for 37th last week at the Honda Classic, Tiger sensed he was rounding into form.
“It wasn’t that far off,” said Woods, who has now won five of his last 19 starts. “I was hitting the ball well, I just made a few too many mistakes.”
Woods didn’t make many at Doral, where he has now won four times: twice in the Cadillac Championship, and twice in the Ford Championship.
Sunday’s win was his first in a WGC tournament since 2009 Bridgestone Invitational. He now has 17 victories in 41 starts, a winning percentage of more than 40 percent, and has 32 Top 10 finishes.
“I think that’s pretty good,” said Woods. “I’ve done well in big championships.”
Tiger has now won at least two PGA TOUR events in a season 14 times in his career since turning professional in 1996. He also has seven victories in four PGA TOUR events: the Farmers Insurance Open, Cadillac Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament.
Woods was never really challenged on Sunday. He kept his pursuers at bay with birdies on two of the first four holes, sinking an 18-footer at the 418-yard, par-4 second and a 4-footer at the 193-yard, par-3 fourth. Tiger followed with five-consecutive pars to make the turn in 2-under 34.
A combination of tricky winds and baked-out greens prevented anyone from going low. Woods made another birdie at the 551-yard, par-5 10th hole, where he knocked his second shot from 295 yards over the green, then chipped to six feet and made the putt.
Tiger made nice par-save at No. 11, where he blasted his second shot over the green from a fairway bunker, then hit a terrific sand shot at the par-5 12th, where he had to stance outside the bunker for his third shot and eventually two-putted for a par. He also made a nice up-and-down at the par-3 13th.
Following a two-putt par from 15 feet at the par-4 14th, Woods seized control of the tournament by burying a 30-foot birdie putt at the 175-yard, par-3 15th hole to extend his lead to four strokes.
Tiger hit an iron off the tee at the short 358-yard, par-4 16th and ball settled into a fairway bunker. He caught his second shot heavy, gouged his third shot from thick Bermuda rough 33 feet past the pin and two-putted for his first bogey of the day.
After two crisp shots at the par-4 17th, Woods just missed a 14-foot birdie putt. At the always scary 475-yard, par-4 18th hole, where water lines the entire left side of the hole, Tiger hit a driver into the right rough, punched his second shot into the fairway to avoid flirting with the water, just missed the green to the left with his third shot, then pitched to five feet and salvaged bogey.
He gave caddie Joe LaCava a big hug, then removed his black hat and waved to the cheering gallery. He also made a point of thanking Stricker at the awards presentation.
“It was just one of those weeks where I felt pretty good about how I was playing, made a few putts and got it rolling,” said Woods.
