Woods’ Win Is More Than Shot in Dark

Tiger Woods could see the flag.

He just couldn’t see the shot.

In the near darkness, it made no difference.

A silhouette in the fairway, 168 yards from the 18th green, trying to complete another landslide victory in a final round delayed nearly three hours by storms, Woods cranked an unmistakably pure swing.

The ball landed two feet from the pin. Cameras flashed in the dark like strobe lights and fans flicked lighters as if they were at a rock concert.

“I’m a better player than I was last year,” Woods said. “And hopefully, I’ll be better next year.”

No need to convince the crowd that watched him finish with a birdie for a three-under-par 67 to end up at 21-under 259, 11 strokes better than anyone Sunday at the NEC Invitational at Akron, Ohio.

Woods became the first player since Byron Nelson in 1945 to win at least eight times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years. It also was the third time this year Woods has successfully defended a title, the first one to do that since Johnny Miller in 1975.

The $1-million paycheck Sunday gave him more money in the last two years than anyone on the career money list except for Davis Love III.

Phillip Price of Wales, playing his first tournament in the U.S., got as close to Woods as anyone Sunday--five strokes. But he bogeyed three of the last four holes and finished with a 69 to slip into a tie for second with Justin Leonard, who had a 66.

The final moments at the Firestone Country Club course were like a circus. Players were desperate to finish their rounds so they wouldn’t have to return this morning. They had the option to stop, but plugged along as the skies grew darker.

“If the tournament was tied, I guarantee it would have stopped,” Woods said.

Woods, battling flu, got it together not long after his fever broke on the fourth hole, and the final 30 minutes brought back memories of junior golf.

He and his father used to sneak onto the Navy course in Southern California and would end up playing the last two holes in darkness. That’s where Woods learned to play by feel. “You couldn’t see where it would go,” he said.

Woods proved that wasn’t necessary Sunday. In the dark on the final hole he was inspired by his caddie: Steve Williams’ favorite number is 21, and that’s where he wanted Woods to finish in relation to par. Woods asked for a dry glove on the last hole, and Williams wrote “21” on it. Woods hit an eight-iron stiff.

“I’ve won majors and he wasn’t that excited,” Woods said.

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James Driscoll won the final three holes of regulation to force a playoff with Jeff Quinney in the finals of the 100th U.S. Amateur, which was suspended after 38 holes.

The title match is scheduled to resume this morning on the Upper Course at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

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Karrie Webb shot an even-par 72 for a four-round total of 265 to win the Oldsmobile Classic at East Lansing, Mich., by two strokes over Meg Mallon. Webb’s 23-under tied the tournament record, set in 1998 by Lisa Walters.

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Larry Nelson’s six-under-par 66 gave him a 54-hole total of 13-under 203 for a Senior PGA Tour victory in the Fleet Boston Classic at Concord, Mass.

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Tiger’s Targets

Most PGA Tour victories in one year:

18--Byron Nelson, 1945

13--Ben Hogan, 1946

11--Sam Snead, 1950

10--Ben Hogan, 1948

9--Paul Runyan, 1933

8--Horton Smith, 1929

8--Gene Sarazen, 1930

8--Sam Snead, 1938

8--Byron Nelson, 1944

8--Arnold Palmer, 1960

8--Johnny Miller, 1974

8--Tiger Woods, 1999

8--Tiger Woods, 2000

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Most PGA Tour victories in two consecutive years:

26--Byron Nelson, 1944-45

20--Ben Hogan, 1946-47

17--Ben Hogan, 1947-48

17--Sam Snead, 1949-50

16--Paul Runyan 1933-34

16--Tiger Woods, 1999-2000

14--Arnold Palmer, 1962-63

14--Jack Nicklaus, 1972-73