With win at Bay Hill, Tiger back atop the game
Tiger Woods is back on top.
For the 11th time in his career and first time since October 30, 2010, he’s now first in the Official World Golf Ranking. He got there by successfully defending his title and winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at cool and breezy Bay Hill Club & Lodge on Monday for the eighth time, equaling Sam Snead’s record for most PGA TOUR wins in the same tournament.
“I don’t really see anybody touching it for a long time,” Palmer said of the record-tying performance.
U.S. Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, Tiger’s girlfriend, was among the first to congratulate him.
“Number 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!” she tweeted after his methodical two-stroke victory over Justin Rose.
How satisfying was regaining the No. 1 spot?
“It was just a byproduct of hard work, patience and getting back to winning golf tournaments,” said Woods.
It marked the 77th career win for Tiger on the PGA TOUR, who trails only Snead with 82. It was also his third stroke play third triumph in four starts this season and his sixth in his last 19 events.
Woods has now won eight times at two courses: Bay Hill and Torrey Pines.
“I always play well here,” said Tiger, who closed with a 2-under-par 70 and finished at 13-under 275. “It’s as simple as it gets.”
For the fifth time in seven seasons, Woods also moved to the top of the FedExCup Standings. With his $1,080,000 payday, Tiger passed Brandt Snedeker for No. 1 on the money list.
Woods reinforced his status as the game’s best closer. He has now won 52-of-56 times when tied or leading after 54 holes, including 21 of the last 22 times.
Even Mother Nature couldn’t throw him off. Tiger played only two holes Sunday before play was suspended by a fierce thunderstorm that drenched Bay Hill with nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain and resulting in a Monday finish. He had parred the first hole and birdied the par-5 second to hold a two-stroke advantage over Rickie Fowler, John Huh and Rose.
Playing smart, conservative golf, Tiger took care of business and his lead never slipped below two strokes. As he did all week, he blistered the par-5s, making birdies on all four Monday. For the week, he played them in a combined 14-under and made three eagles.
Paired with Fowler, Woods began play Monday by two-putting the par-4 third hole from 17 feet. Tiger, who has been on fire with his putter since receiving a pre-tournament lesson from Steve Stricker at the recent WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, continued to sizzle on the greens. He made a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-5 fourth hole.
Following a two-putt par at No. 5, Woods knocked his second shot in the right greenside bunker at the par-5 sixth, then blasted to four feet and holed the birdie putt. After a two-putt par at No. 7, Tiger bogeyed the par-4 eighth, where he pushed his drive to the right behind a tree, punched out into the fairway, hit his third shot from 162 yards 11 feet from the cup and two-putted.
Woods hit another poor tee shot way right at the par-4 ninth, but caught a good lie in a trampled area and had a clear shot to the green. He knocked his second onto the front of the putting surface from 185 yards and happily two-putted for a par from 42 feet to make the turn in 2-under 34.
After a par at No. 10, Tiger made a clutch two-putt par at No. 11. He left his 39-foot birdie attempt seven feet short, but drilled his par putt into the center of the cup.
At the par-5 12th, Fowler applied some pressure by sinking a long birdie putt. But Woods was equal to the challenge and rolled in a 26-foot birdie putt, pointing his putter skyward with his left hand.
Tiger almost flew his short approach shot into the hole at the short, par-4 13th, but the ball spun back off the green and he easily saved par. Woods missed the green to the right at the par-3 14th, then chipped four feet past the pin. When Fowler sunk another birdie long putt, a two-shot swing seemed possible, but Tiger converted to maintain a two-stroke cushion.
Both players bogeyed the par-4 15th hole, Woods failing to get up-and-down from a right greenside bunker and missing an 11-foot putt. But he made a great two-putt birdie at the par-5 16th, where he drove into the right fairway bunker, then hit a gutsy mid-iron over the hazard onto the center of the green and two-putted from 35 feet. Fowler knocked two balls into the water to fall from contention.
Tiger flushed a beautiful 4-iron onto the middle of the green at the difficult par-3 17th, a green only 30 percent of the field found in regulation, and nearly dropped his 16-foot birdie putt. Leading by three heading to the par-5 18th, Woods drove into the right rough, gouged his second shot down the fairway, then punched his third shot 73 yards short of the hole. With a massive and appreciative Monday afternoon crowd looking, he just missed the par putt.
After a hug from caddie Joe LaCava, Tiger waved to the fans, then made his walk to the scorer’s trailer, where per custom, Palmer was waiting with a congratulatory handshake. Last year, Palmer had a medical issue and wasn’t there to greet Woods.
“There are certain events that are more special when you have Arnold Palmer on the 18th green or you have Jack (Nicklaus) at the Memorial,” Woods said. “It’s special to be able to walk off the 18th green and see these guys there. They’re living legends of the game.”
