Tiger Bounces Back in Style

The focus of Tiger Woods’ stunning victory at the BMW Championship was not the fact that he assumed top position in the FedEx Cup Play-Offs. Even the players appear to be numbed by the play-offs, with a complex format and an even stranger concept of paying the $10 million prize money only when the winner reaches 65 years old.

No, the amazing thing about Woods’ performance was that it was victory number 60 and highlighted the amazing pace he has set in his quest to overtake Sam Snead as the golfer with the most number of wins.

The factoid to marvel at is that, according to the PGA Tour website, even if Tiger takes the next seven and a half years off, he would still be on course to break Snead’s record of 82 tournament triumphs.

Having lurked around for most of the tournament, the third in the four-event play-offs, Woods raised his game in the final round with a brilliant eight-under 63 to finish at 22-under-par 262 and defeat Aaron Baddeley by two strokes.

It was the seventh time the 31-year-old Woods had won a single tournament for the fourth time and it took him to the top of the FedEx standings ahead of Steve Stricker, who finished third at Cog Hill, four strokes adrift of the winner.

Woods said on the PGA Tour website:

“I never ever would have dreamt that this could have happened this soon. I’ve been out here, what, 11 years, my 12th season, I believe. And to have this many wins … I never could have foreseen that. I’ve exceeded my own expectations, and it’s been a lot of fun to enjoy that whole road, that whole process to get to 60.”

Fun for him, maybe but not so much fun for others who also want to win tournaments.

And so, the players go into this week’s final tournament, the PGA Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, chasing Tiger. Phil Mickelson, who won the second event at the TPC Boston, can possibly provide Woods with some competition but the FedEx Cup and $10 million is Tiger’s to lose.

On the European Tour, Australian Brett Rumford beat England’s Phillip Archer in a sudden-death play-off to win the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland. Both players had finished on 16-under-par 268 before Rumford chipped in for birdie at the first extra hole.


Leave a Reply