Woods Closes Strong

Tiger Woods is back. Now say goodbye to him until next year.

It might not have been his year, but Sunday wasn’t so bad for Woods, not if you count winning $1.25 million and ending the season with a victory in his tournament.

Woods, who did not win a PGA Tour event after late February and lost his five-year grip on player of the year to Vijay Singh, set himself up for what may be a comeback, if that’s what you call it, with a rousing 66 and a two-shot victory over Padraig Harrington in the $5.4-million Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

“It’s just so exciting that the things I’ve been working on are starting to come together,” said Woods, who was handed the trophy by his father, Earl, in a ceremony on the green.

For Woods, it was a rewarding conclusion to a year in which he struggled with changing his swing, endured weekly scrutiny of what he was up to and ended the year ranked something other than No. 1 for the first time since 1997.

When he showed up for the tournament, Woods said he was confident his swing changes were paying off and he finished strongly, shooting in the 60s in 10 of his last 12 competitive rounds, beginning with the Tour Championship.

Harrington said he noticed something different with Woods at the World Challenge.

“It looks like he’s worked on the right things,” Harrington said. “He seems to really be getting it back.”

Woods began reshaping his swing in the spring and not until lately was he able to carry over to the course the success he found on the range. He said he didn’t trust his swing, but started to believe he was nearly there when he tied for second at the Deutsche Bank in the first week of September.

All year, Woods said he would take “baby steps” of improvement, even if his results didn’t necessarily show it.

He said the middle two rounds of the Tour Championship, when he shot 64-65, were proof to him that he was nearly where he wanted to be.

“It was frustrating because I knew it was in me. I knew I could do it,” he said.

Harrington, who began Sunday four shots behind third-round leader Colin Montgomerie, wound up with a 66 and a bogey-birdie-bogey finish, but still earned $750,000.

“A win would have been a good Christmas present,” Harrington said.

There were no gifts for Montgomerie, who lost his lead to Woods after the second hole, shot a 71 and finished tied for third with Jay Haas, who had a 69, three shots behind Woods.

Montgomerie and Haas each earned $447,000. Because only 16 players shared the purse, last place was still worth $155,000 to Todd Hamilton and Stephen Ames.

When Woods accepted the champion’s trophy, it marked the conclusion of a long year of golf.

After 340 days and 54 official events, the 2004 PGA Tour season came to an end, but it’s not going to be a long break. In only 24 days, the 2005 season kicks off with the Mercedes Championship at Kapalua, Hawaii.

That’s not long, but it’s probably enough time for Woods to finish counting his earnings. Woods donated his paycheck Sunday to his foundation, but if it went into the books, he would have earned nearly $7.1 million worldwide.

Harrington was one shot behind Woods at the par-five 16th, but wound up with a bogey when he went for the green in two. His approach went into a ditch on the right and he chopped out into the rough on the other side of the green. Harrington got a shot back when he birdied the par-five 17th and Woods needed a six-foot putt to save par at the 16th to stay ahead.

Woods was bothered by a fan who yelled during his backswing, but managed to regain his focus.

Harrington’s biggest problem came from his bag, not his gallery. It was a five-wood from 280 yards that Harrington sent into the ditch under the trees at the 16th and he offered no excuses.

“I didn’t hit a good shot and I paid the price for it,” he said.

“I’m happy, though. I played all right, borrowing one of Tiger’s phrases, without my A game.”

Harrington is taking nine weeks off before he starts playing again, but Woods will be in the field at Kapalua. The rebuilt swing should be rested by then, along with the player who spent a difficult year trying to master it.