The American Tiger Woods, former world number one and winner of 14 great, returned to win a tournament more than five years later to prevail this Sunday in the Tour Championship, fourth and last tournament of the playoffs of the FedEx Cup PGA Tour golf , played at the East Lake club in Atlanta (Georgia, United States).
Five years, one month and two days have passed since Tiger Woods lifted his last trophy on August 4, 2013. It was in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, in the TPC Southwind of Memphis (Tennessee), and with seven strokes of margin on its compatriot Keegan Bradley and the Swedish Henrik Stenson.
The Californian player, 42, has finally left behind his innumerable physical problems (in April 2017 he underwent surgery for the fourth time in three years) and personal problems, to win again. Woods puts an end to 1,877 days and 49 waiting tournaments.
With this are already 107 professional victories (80 on the PGA Tour) of one of the best players in history and was 683 weeks sitting on the world’s number one throne, 281 of them consecutively.
The Cypress golfer started the year 2018 as number 656 in the world and step by step has climbed to the 21 that occupied at the start of the tournament in Atlanta, which has won for the third time in his career.
Tiger Woods faced the fourth and last round as leader on Sunday and three goals ahead of the world number one, the Englishman Justin Rose, and Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy, fifth in the ranking and with whom he shared the last game.
He started the last round with birdie to 1 to increase his advantage to four hits. And he increased the cushion to five after Rose and McIlroy bogeyed on the 5th hole.
The Northern Irishman was the first to get out of the fight by making a double bogey in the 7 that led him to seven impacts of Tiger Woods.
Justin Rose narrowed the gap in the 8, but immediately returned to stand at five after making bogey in par 3 of the 9th hole, although Woods resisted the birdies.
A bogey in the 10 again reduced the mattress of Tiger Woods to four strokes, but returned to stretch it to five after a bogey in the 11 of Rose, which was suddenly joined on the table the American Billy Horschel, which shortly after to be the leader’s first persecutor.
The second birdie of the day of Woods arrived in the hole 13 and served him to be placed again with -12 and re-open a gap of five strokes, now on Horschel, and six respect to former world number one Dustin Johnson. Justin Rose dropped to seven and began to fear for his goals: the FedEx Cup and the world number one.
Two bogeys in the 15th and 16th, coupled with a birdie from Horschel in the 18th, suddenly left the Tiger Woods advantage in only two strokes and still two holes ahead for the Californian.
After making the pair in 17, Woods reached the last hole with two of margin. And in the final chapter it was enough to make the pair to sign the long-awaited and expected victory. And five days from the start of the Ryder Cup.
Tiger Woods finished the tournament with 269 total hits (11 under par), two fewer than Billy Horschel and four margin over Dustin Johnson.
Justin Rose, who was on the ropes, was finally made with the FedEx Cup and maintained the status of world number one. The English ended the tournament with 6 low after a final round of 73 (+3). A birdie on the 18th allowed it.
The Spanish Jon Rahm said goodbye to the tournament with his worst round of the four days, a 72 (+2) with three birdies for three bogeys and a double bogey that made him finish with 4 down in the total.
- Final classification:
.1. Tiger Woods (USA) 269 (65 + 68 + 65 + 71) (-11)
.2. Billy Horschel (USA) 271 (71 + 65 + 69 + 66)
.3. Dustin Johnson (USA) 283 (69 + 70 + 67 + 67)
.4. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 274 (72 + 66 + 71 + 65)
.4. Webb Simpson (USA) 274 (69 + 70 + 68 + 67)
.4. Justin Rose (ING) 274 (66 + 67 + 68 + 73)
.7. Rickie Fowler (USA) 275 (65 + 72 + 73 + 65)
.7. Justin Thomas (USA) 275 (67 + 69 + 70 + 69)
.7. Xander Schauffele (USA) 275 (68 + 70 + 68 + 69)
.7. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 275 (67 + 68 + 66 + 74)
- Tommy Fleetwood (ING) 276 (69 + 69 + 70 + 68)
- Gary Woodland (USA) 276 (66 + 72 + 68 + 70)
- Jon Rahm (ESP) 276 (68 + 68 + 68 + 72)
- Paul Casey (ING) 276 (68 + 71 + 66 + 71)
