Black Sports : Tiger Woods wins final Masters tuneup

Zacharias

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Jan 19, 2007
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By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer

MIAMI - They can move this World Golf Championship around country and continents, change its name and stick it in a different spot on the calendar. Tiger Woods still seems to wind up with the trophy.

Woods made sure the outcome was never in doubt Sunday, making enough key putts to keep everyone at a distance and playing it safe at the end for a 1-over 73 to capture the CA Championship by two shots over Brett Wetterich in his final tournament before the Masters.

"Very pleased," Woods said about his game heading into the first major.

He is believed to be the first player to win a PGA Tour event six times on six courses. Woods also won this tournament, previously known as the American Express Championship, in Spain, Ireland, Atlanta, San Francisco and London. And it was his third straight victory at Doral.

"He's good on Bermuda, good in wind, good in no wind, he's good on bent grass. He's just a good player," U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy said. "What do you say?"

Woods never let anyone closer to him than four shots for most of the warm, blustery afternoon on the Blue Monster until Wetterich made birdie on the 16th to get within three. Equipped with that margin, Woods played iron off the tee on the tough 18th, laid up, and hit a wedge 50 feet beyond the flag. He lapped to tap-in range for bogey.

Wetterich had an 8-foot birdie putt to make it interesting, but left it short and settled for a 71.

Woods finished at 10-under 278 to continue his dominance in these World Golf Championships. It was his 13th title in 24 tries, and he is 11-of-16 when the tournaments are stroke play.

"It's tough," Wetterich said. "You know he's not going to go out and make mistakes. No one really put any pressure on him today. It was kind of easy on him except for those last few holes."

It was only the sixth time Woods has won a tournament with his final round over par. All that mattered was another title, his second this year and 56th of his career. He earned $1.35 million.

Robert Allenby ran off six birdies in his first 14 holes and his 5-under 67 was the best score of the final round, the only drama was to see would finish second. Allenby wound up in a tie for third at 6-under 282 with Ogilvy (70) and Sergio Garcia (70), the only player to break par all for days at Doral.

Garcia bristled when asked if he was embarrassed by spitting into the cup after missing a putt on Saturday.

"I apologized already," he said. "Are you embarrassed that I didn't spit today, that you didn't have anything better to ask me? Next."

Woods' victory comes one week after he took two double bogeys and a triple bogey on his back nine at Bay Hill, and some players wondered whether those scars would be fresh.

Apparently not.

Woods wasn't at his best on a tough day for scoring, taking 33 putts. But he made the ones that kept momentum on his side.

He now has won 31 straight times on the PGA Tour when leading going into the final round, a record pieced together over more than 10 years. The margin was four shots Sunday, and Woods immediately stretched it with an 18-foot birdie on the opening hole.

But he shoved a 5-foot par putt on the third, then rapped a 50-foot birdie attempt on the next hole some 10 feet past the cup. Wetterich made his 35-footer for birdie, but Woods poured in his par putt.

After another bogey on the sixth, Woods' approach on No. 7 caught the face of the bunker. He blasted out to 5 feet and again saved par to keep rolling toward victory. Consecutive birdies on the par-3 ninth and par-5 10th gave him his largest lead of the round at six, and by then it was matter of finishing the tournament.

"I didn't see anyone catching Tiger," Allenby said. "When he's in front, he's a hard man to beat."

The CA Championship is the fifth tournament that Woods has won at least three times in a row, and he has won more times at this tournament than any other in golf.

Woods has won 27.5 percent of his tournaments, an astounding rate that even got the savvy Ogilvy doing some quick math.

"He only wins 30 percent of the time he tees it up," Ogilvy said. "I probably only play 13 or 14 tournaments that he plays in a year. I've got seven or eight chances he's not going to win. It's kind of inspiring."

Or maybe Woods was inspired by his new buddy, tennis champion Roger Federer, who came out to watch his practice round Wednesday. Woods returned the favor Saturday night, watching Federer sail through his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne.

Having them both in the same town is sure to raise questions about which is more dominant, but Woods cares only about his sport.
 
Brother Zacharias ... getting folk to abide by rule #2 has been quite challenging.

I believe it's just the nature of the Internet, folk are so accustomed to sharing everything.

In spite of the difficulty, we (the Moderators and i) are going to try and stay on top of this moe betta.

Please ... don't include the whole story, if you don't have permission for it to be here, and always leave a link to it.

Thanks.

:heart:

Destee
 

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