Unlikely eagle paves way for Woods’ win

Tiger Woods couldn’t believe his luck when his tee shot somehow stopped 18 inches from going into the water, turning a probable bogey into an unlikely eagle for his first lead Sunday in the Wachovia Championship at Charlotte, N.C.

Equally stunning was his blunder on the 13th hole, a three-putt double bogey to blow a three-shot lead on the back nine.

“My whole goal coming in after that was to try to get the lead through 15,” Woods said. “I figured if I parred in, I’d probably win the tournament because [in] these conditions, no one is going to play those last three holes under par.”

Woods took one more bogey, but it didn’t matter.

A final round with wild swings in momentum finally settled into a familiar outcome. Backed by a two-shot lead going to the most daunting hole at Quail Hollow, Woods was able to play it safe on the 18th and made an eight-foot par putt to close with a three-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Steve Stricker, his third PGA Tour victory this year and his ninth in his last 12 tour starts. He has 57 tour victories in his career.

Thus did a tournament that looks so much like a major get a champion whose career is defined by them.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve won a few tournaments here and there, and it’s been nice,” Woods said. “This one, considering the field and the golf course and the conditions, [I’m] ecstatic to have won here.”

With Woods’ victory, four of the five winners at the Wachovia Championship have won majors. The others are David Toms, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk.

Woods finished at 13-under 275, the lowest score in the five-year history of this event. He earned $1.134 million, and went atop the FedEx Cup standings for the first time this year, despite playing only six times.

And as usual, he got some help. Woods wanted the lead through 15 holes knowing the finish is as tough as anywhere -- the hardest three holes at Quail Hollow, with the 18th so tough it played more than a half-stroke over par.

Stricker, tied for the lead when he holed a five-foot birdie putt on the 15th, hit into the trees, then the bunker and missed a six-foot putt to take double bogey on the 16th. He followed with a 30-foot birdie on the 17th, but found the stream down the left side of the 18th fairway to doom his chances. Stricker, who hasn’t won since 2001, shot 69.

Singh, who briefly led after a short birdie on the seventh hole, couldn’t answer Woods’ eagle-birdie-birdie charge into the lead at the turn, and the Fijian stumbled badly at the end with two balls in the water for a triple bogey and a 74.

Rory Sabbatini had a one-shot lead and essentially called out Woods on Saturday night, saying he wanted him in the final pairing to prove his victory at Riviera last year -- where Woods withdrew because of flu -- was no accident. He told XM radio the pairing was “David and Goliath,” and jokingly referred to Woods as the underdog.

But on Sunday, Sabbatini didn’t make a birdie until the 10th hole and closed with a 74. He tied for third along with Phil Mickelson, who shot 70.

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After missing a five-foot putt on No. 18 that would have won the SemGroup Championship at Broken Arrow, Okla., Mi Hyun Kim defeated Hall of Famer Juli Inkster on the first playoff hole, making a four-foot par putt on No. 18 for her first LPGA Tour victory of the year.

Kim, who started the round one shot behind the leaders, won for the eighth time on the tour. Inkster, who will turn 47 next month, would have been the oldest player to win an LPGA Tour event. She closed with a two-under 69 in regulation.

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Scott Hoch shot a final-round 68 for his first Champions Tour win, a two-shot victory over D.A. Weibring at the FedEx Kinko’s Classic in Lakeway, Texas.

Hoch, who turned 50 last year, finished with a 15-under 201 total at The Hills Country Club. He earned $240,000. Weibring finished with a 67, and at 13 under for the tournament.