Tiger Fights Back to Win Junior Title : Golf: Two holes down with five to play, Woods wins three to become first male to take the USGA event twice.

Tiger Woods of Cypress rallied from two holes down with five to play Saturday to defeat Mark Wilson and become the first male to win a second U.S. Junior Amateur Championship title.

Woods, 16, birdied the par-5 16th hole at Wollaston Golf Club to even the match and won on the 18th hole with a bogey five.

“It was tougher this year than last,” said Woods, who cried and hugged his father after winning.

“I was down two a lot longer (than last year),” he said. “And I’m sorry to say, I was pretty nervous. You can’t believe how much tension is out there. I guess after I won, it just all came out.”

Woods is one of only five junior males to reach the final a second time in the championship’s 45-year history. Before Woods, the last had been Michael Brannan, who won in 1971 and was runner-up in 1973. LPGA Tour player Hollis Stacy won three junior titles in a row, from 1969-71.

Woods beat Jonathan Bartlett, 15, of Ocala, Fla., in his semifinal match, 3 and 2. Wilson beat Todd Lynch, 16, of Winston-Salem, N.C., in his semifinal, 5 and 4.

Woods, medalist in qualifying stroke play at 68-75--143, had easy victories along the way and never trailed in any of his six matches until the final, when Wilson won the first two holes with par-4s.

Wilson was two-up after seven holes, and again after 12 holes, but never felt as if victory was near. “I knew he (Woods) would come back,” said Wilson, who was second after qualifying at 73-74--147. “He’s just that good a player. I knew because of his reputation.”

Woods won the 14th hole with a par, and then birdied the 16th to draw even. Both players had their troubles around the green on the long par-four 18th; Woods was in a bunker to the right while Wilson was in a bunker to the left.

Woods recovered to the back of the green and two-putted. Wilson came up short of the green from the bunker and then left his 14-foot putt for bogey inches short.