Relentless Woods Victorious Again

Tiger Woods has a shot for every occasion.

Pushed to the limits by an unlikely challenger, Woods completed golf’s, and his own, tremendous summer in style Sunday with a six-iron from a fairway bunker, over the water and right at the flag, to win the Canadian Open by one stroke over Grant Waite.

“When pressure is at its peak, that’s when your concentration level is at its highest,” Woods said. “It builds to a crescendo.”

Woods chipped from the back of the green to a foot and tapped in for birdie to close out a seven-under-par 65 and his fifth victory in seven tournaments this summer. Three of them were majors, one of them gave him the career Grand Slam and all of them were filled with unforgettable shots.

All five victories included some kind of scoring record--12 under at the U.S. Open, 19 under at the British, 18 under at the PGA and a 21-under 259 at Firestone.

Woods was 22 under over his final 49 holes and finished at 266, the lowest 72-hole score in the 22 years that the Canadian Open has been played at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“I’ve had a wonderful summer,” Woods said.

He was nearly flawless Sunday, and had to be. Waite, a runner-up for the second consecutive week in Canada, matched him stroke-for-stroke and put the pressure on with a five-iron into the par-five 18th green that left him a 20-foot eagle attempt that could have forced a playoff or perhaps snatched a victory away from Woods.

“Grant forced my hand,” Woods said.

Woods went right at the flag, the ball landed about 18 feet behind the hole. Waite missed his eagle try and had to settle for a 66 and one stroke short of winning, just like last week in Vancouver.

“My goal was not to get too caught up in the hype,” Waite said. “I gave him a run for his money.”

Indeed, neither player made a bogey and they combined for 13 birdies to turn the final round into a memorable duel.

“The only way to beat him is to outplay him,” Waite said. “Right now, that’s a difficult task. He’s an extraordinary player who comes along once every generation--or in this case, maybe once in forever.”

Woods won for the third consecutive time, and for the ninth time this year, the most PGA Tour victories in one year since Sam Snead won 11 in 1950. He earned $594,000, giving him more money in his last 38 tournaments--$14.9 million--than anyone else in their career.

Woods’ knack for dramatic finishes continues to amaze.

Woods had the outright lead for only six holes in the tournament. He grabbed it for good on the par-five 16th with a 12-foot birdie putt. Woods pointed to the cup--a gesture that has replaced his famous fist pump--as the ball disappeared to give him a one-stroke lead with two holes to play.

With rain starting to fall, Woods missed his first green on the 17th, but managed to blast out of the bunker to a foot to save par, a tremendous shot since he had so little green between the sand and the flag.

And despite the pressure Waite applied at the end, Woods had an answer--much to Waite’s disbelief.

“The guy takes out a six-iron, fires at the flag, with the tournament on the line,” he said, shaking his head in wonder. “I told him after we where through, ‘You’re not supposed to do that. You’re supposed to hit at the middle of the green.’

“He said, ‘The shot was on.’ I guess it was.”

Sergio Garcia, who defeated Woods 1-up in their made-for-TV exhibition at Palm Desert recently, had a 67 but was never a factor and finished seven strokes behind.

Waite stayed with Woods the whole day, but fell victim to the 50,000 people who crammed into Glen Abbey. The click of cameras from the gallery distracted him on his drive on the 16th and it flared out to the right, leaving him no chance to reach the green in two. He missed an 18-footer from the fringe, and Woods took advantage.

“If you make a mistake, he’ll leave you,” Waite said.

Woods now has 24 tour victories in a career that spans just over four years. He will take the next five weeks off before The Presidents Cup.

The only other time Waite had played with Woods was the 1993 Nelson Classic, where they both missed the cut. Of course, Woods was still in high school and so much has changed.

Woods, who became the youngest player to complete the Grand Slam, has become the biggest star in sports and draws galleries more suited for major championships everywhere he goes.