With Flair for the Dramatic, O’Meara Overtakes Woods

Mark O’Meara won the World Match Play Championship on Sunday at Virginia Water, England, rallying from four holes down against friend and neighbor Tiger Woods to win the 36-hole final, 1-up.

On the last hole, O’Meara made a 15-foot putt from just off the fringe for a birdie. Woods, awaiting his 10-footer for a birdie, rushed over to hug O’Meara.

“I relish that putt, to make it when the heat’s on like that,” O’Meara said. “I hit a good putt, it was rolling and died on the back edge. What a fitting way to win a golf tournament.”

It was the first all-United States final since 1975 when Hale Irwin beat Al Geiberger and only the fourth in the tournament’s 34-year history.

With the stakes considerably higher than their neighborly matches in Florida, O’Meara earned $290,000 and Woods $150,000.

“The ebb and flow was tremendous with four or five shifts,” Woods said. “It’s a special thing and it can only happen when you play 36 holes.”

In this neighborly showdown on a beautiful day at Wentworth Club, Woods was three holes up after 18 holes, sharp on the greens and taking advantage of O’Meara’s cold putter. He raced to a four-hole lead after only six holes with four birdies that included a successful 35-foot putt.

O’Meara changed things in a hurry.

This year’s Masters and British Open champion birdied four of the first seven holes on the second 18--coupled with Woods’ first bogey of the day--to take a one-hole lead after 25.

O’Meara won the 30th hole with an eagle, knocking a two-iron within two feet to even the match. At the 32nd, O’Meara moved on top again with a birdie while Woods missed from six feet. But Woods won the next hole to tie it when O’Meara drove into the trees, taking a penalty and a bogey while Woods birdied.

The 34th hole was pivotal, with O’Meara taking a one-hole lead on a hole Woods should have won. O’Meara found a greenside bunker but saved par while Woods three-putted for a bogey from 10 feet.

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Jim Furyk, considered by many as the best player without a victory in professional golf the last two years, nearly lost a five-stroke lead over the last four holes before making an eight-footer for par on the last hole to win the Las Vegas Invitational.

Furyk ended his victory drought with a putt that nearly lipped out on the 18th green even as he was pumping his fist in triumph.

He finished with a four-under-par 68 to edge Mark Calcavecchia, who birdied three of the last four holes to finish a stroke back at 24 under. Scott Verplank was third, another two shots back.

“I always had confidence in myself I was good enough to win a golf tournament,” said Furyk, who moved into second place in money earned this season. “But every time you come close and it doesn’t happen, it seems that much harder to get over the hill.”

Furyk, two strokes ahead going to 18, had to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the final hole after Calcavecchia, playing with him in the final group, hit a seven-iron within three feet.

He hit his sand shot eight feet past the hole, then stroked a left-to-right breaking putt that almost lipped out before dropping in the right side of the hole. Calcavecchia then made his putt to finish with a 66.

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Dana Quigley birdied four consecutive holes on the back nine and shot a final-round 64 to win the Raley’s Senior Gold Rush Classic at El Dorado Hills, Calif., by three strokes.

Quigley started the final round in a four-way tie for second, three strokes behind John Morgan, and finished with a 12-under 202 total at Serrano Country Club. Morgan finished second with a 70.

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Final Results

Winners on the major tours Sunday:

$2-MILLION PGA LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL--Par 72

Jim Furyk 67-68-69-63-68-335- (-25)

Mark Calcavecchia 65-71-69-65-66-336- (-24)

Scott Verplank 67-68-69-67-67-338- (-22)

Bob Tway 68-65-69-72-65-339- (-21)

This week: Walt Disney World Golf Classic

$1-MILLION PGA SENIOR RALEY’S

GOLD RUSH CLASSIC--Par 72

Dana Quigley 71-68-64-203- (-13)

John D. Morgan 73-63-70-206- (-10)

David Graham 71-69-67-207- (-9)

Allen Doyle 72-68-68-208- (-8)

Dale Douglass 71-68-69-208- (-8)

This week: EMC2 Kaanapali Classic