Easy win for Woods
US golfer Tiger Woods holds the FedEx Cup trophy after the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday.Photo: AFP
Tiger Woods easily fended off his challengers to capture the 2007 Tour Championship by eight strokes and collect 11.2 million dollars in prize and bonus money on Sunday.
Woods, who has won four of his past five tournaments, fired a four-under 66 for his 61st career PGA Tour victory on Sunday.
The 13-time major winner became the first player in PGA Tour history to win seven or more events in a season four different times. He is now one win away from equalling Arnold Palmer (62) for fourth on the all-time win list.
“I really played some good golf and got on a birdie run there in the middle of the round and basically put it away," Woods said.
Woods not only collected the 1.2 million-dollar tournament winner's cheque but also the 10 million-dollar bonus as the inaugural FedEx Cup points champion.
The 10 million dollars will be paid as an annuity into his retirement account for Woods, who finished with a 23-under total of 257.
Asked if he can remember another time, even back to juniors when he won two trophies in a single tournament, Woods said, "I don't ever remember doing it."
After a modest start, Woods birdied the sixth hole then caught fire on the back nine to finish with six birdies and two bogeys at the East Lake Golf Club.
Woods started the day with a three-shot cushion over playing partner Mark Calcavecchia.
Masters champion Zach Johnson, who fired a course record 60 on Saturday, shot 68 to finish in a tie for second with Calcavecchia who fired a 71 for 265.
Woods is now an impressive 41-3 when holding the lead going into the final round of a PGA event but oddly enough Woods' brilliant record as a frontrunner wasn't crafted at the East Lake Golf Club.
Woods was hoping to erase memories of two Sunday collapses at East Lake in 2000 and 2004, when he lost third-round leads. It has only happened three times in his PGA Tour career.
Woods also became the first player to win the Tour Championship a second time and his 257 is the lowest score in Tour Championship history.
Woods shot 33 on the front nine and Calcavecchia made the turn at 34 as he failed to capitalize on several opportunities early to close the gap on Woods.
Calcavecchia said he doesn't see any flaws in Woods' game.
"A pretty easy 66," Calcavecchia said. "He sets up his game by driving it so well. When he bombs it down there his distance control is so good and his short irons are good and he controls his spin. And he is the best ever, best ever putter, period."Woods got off to a slow start at East Lake, posting a bogey on the second hole and then scrambling to save par on the par-four 387-yard number three. He rallied to make birdie on the sixth, eighth and ninth holes.
Woods seemed to settle into form on the fifth hole with the help of a solid tee shot that travelled 309 yards. At 520 yards, the fifth is one of the longest par-fours in PGA Tour history.
He had another superb tee shot on the 200-yard par-three sixth, landing his ball just two feet from the pin for his first birdie of the day.
By this time Woods was sticking to his formula of taking birdie opportunities and avoiding bogeys as he did through the first three rounds of the tournament, leaving the course in tatters with rounds of 64-63-64.
Tougher pin placements and firmer greens translated into higher scores for most of the field Sunday.
Woods hit nine of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens and needed 28 putts on the day.
The top 30 players in FedEx Cup points secure a return trip to Georgia next year to compete in the Masters at Augusta National.
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