Woods Is No Paper Tiger as Victory in Desert Attests

It appears now they were only trying to stop the inevitable, to prevent Tiger Woods from proving he was all he was thought to be.

Sunday, in the Las Vegas Invitational, it was Davis Love III’s turn. A contender for the PGA Tour money title, Love was supposed to show Woods how much further the upstart needed to go.

It turned out to be not far at all.

Woods won his first PGA title on the first hole of a playoff, confirming what had been talked about, but not yet cast in stone. He is good, at times great, and as much the golfer as any player on the PGA Tour.

“We all knew he was going to win some time,” Love said. “I just didn’t want it to be today.”

But at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin, Woods made Sunday the day. Taking advantage of a layout perfect for his style of play, he shot an eight-under-par 64 to erase a four-stroke deficit, including four-under on the back nine.

“I came in thinking 28 [under par] would win it,” Woods said after finishing the tournament 27-under. “I was right, I just didn’t get it.”

But he got the victory by dropping a one-foot par putt and then watching as Love pushed a six-footer left of the hole, setting off cheers of joy and relief from a gallery that had come to see the much talked about 20-year-old, playing in only his fifth tournament as a professional

“This was a perfect course for him,” said Keith Fergus, who played with Woods on Sunday. “There is no rough and a lot of par fives. You knew it was a place he would do well.”

It looked as if Woods had done well enough to win the tournament in regulation after playing the four par-fives at five-under, but Love staged a late comeback. At the end of Woods’ round, his coach, Butch Harmon, was asked if he was surprised by what at that point looked like a sure victory.

“Am I surprised?,” Harmon asked. “I’m surprised it didn’t come sooner.”

This came as Love approached the 15th tee, and it was fitting that he began his comeback on that hole. He drove the 341-yard par-four, and made a 20-foot eagle putt to go to 26-under and a stroke behind Woods, who then began hitting balls on the practice tee.

On the next hole, Love followed a long drive with a six-iron and two-putted the par-five to tie. He had chances to pull ahead on No. 17 and No. 18, but missed birdie putts of 10 and 30 feet, sending it to a playoff. His miss on 18 drew cheers from the gallery, which had favored Woods the entire tournament.

“There were 40 people trailing me all day long and I knew 20 of them,” Love said. “He took 75% [of the fans] and Fred [Couples] 20% and I think I got 5%, and we were in the last group.”

Everyone watched as Woods and Love hit nearly identical drives on the playoff hole, coming home again on No. 18. Their shots rested only seven feet apart, with Love’s a foot longer. Woods hit first, and lofted a nine iron from 163 yards to 18 feet from the pin. Love’s attempt drifted left and landed in a green-side bunker.

“I think it was a fortunate break having to hit first and putting some pressure on him,” Woods said. “He would know I was in a position to make birdie.”

Love knew, and despite a tremendous bunker shot that put him only six feet from par, he couldn’t match Woods on the final hole. Woods two-putted and watched as Love misread his putt.

“It can’t really say [how it feels to win] right after I win,” Woods said. “It takes time. It is an unbelievable experience, especially after starting with a 70 [Wednesday].”

Entering the tournament, talk was of Woods reaching the top 125 on the money list and earning a full-time card for next season. With the victory, Woods earned a two-year exemption on the tour and $297,000.

Undecided previously about playing in the final two tournaments of the year, Woods indicated he might play in the hopes of getting in the top 30 and a spot in the Tour Championship. After only five tournaments, Woods is already 40th on the money-winning list with $437,195. Woody Austin is 30th with $535,995.

Woods’ mother, Kultida, ran on to the green after the victory, wrapping him in a hug. Harmon followed. His father, Earl, was not at the tournament.

“I will call and talk to him,” Woods said. “If he is there. He is probably out playing golf.”

Love quickly walked from the green after his second consecutive loss in a playoff. He said afterward that he felt he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and on the wish list of Woods, who wanted his first PGA victory to come this way, against this player.

“Last week, during a practice round in Georgia, he said, ‘All I want to do is play you down the stretch,’ ” Love said. “And when I saw his name on the leaderboard I thought, he got what he wanted.

“I looked up there and I said, ‘Here we go.’ And, it is something we are going to have to get used to for a long time.

“Everybody better watch out.”

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Tiger’s Course

How Tiger Woods has fared in the five PGA tournaments he has played since turning pro:

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Event Finish Earnings Greater Milwaukee Open 60th (tie) $2,544 Bell Canadian Open 11th $37,500 Quad City Classic 5th (tie) $42,150 BC Open 3rd (tie) $58,000 Las Vegas Invitational 1st $297,000 Total $437,194 Rank: 40th

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