Sport

Tiger holds off Austin challenge

TULSA (USA): Tiger Woods fought off back-nine charges by Woody Austin and Ernie Els to capture his 13th Major title on Sunday, firing a final-round one-under par 69 to win the 89th PGA golf championship.

World No.1 Woods finished 72 holes at the Southern Hills Country Club on eight-under par 272 to defend his title in the year’s final Major, defeating U.S. veteran Austin by two strokes and three-time major winner Els by three.

Woods moved five Majors shy of matching the all-time career record of 18 triumphs set by Jack Nicklaus. Woods now has won four Masters, four PGA championships, three British Opens and two U.S. Opens.

Woods, who began the round with a three-stroke lead, improved to 13-for-13 in Majors and 40-3 in PGA events when at least sharing the lead after 54 holes.

Woods, who briefly led by five strokes after eight holes, lipped out a five-foot par putt at the par-three 14th, trimming his lead to one stroke over Austin, who had birdied three holes in a row starting at the par-3 11th.

But Woods answered by sinking a 12-foot birdie putt at the 15th, pointing at the ball as he walked to the cup just as he did in 1999 after sinking a key putt to hold off Sergio Garcia down the stretch and win his first PGA crown.

That lifted Woods to eight-under par, two ahead of Austin, and the two traded pars to the finish, with Woods taking home the $1.26 million top prize at the $7 million event.

Austin fired a 67 for his first top 10 finish in a Major and Els had a 66 to take third. Canada’s Stephen Ames, who began the day in second place three strokes back, soared to a 76 to finish 10 strokes behind Woods.

Woods lifted the Wanamaker Trophy for his 59th PGA victory in 213 pro PGA starts, the fifth-best on all time list.

Woods curled home a dramatic 30-foot birdie putt from the edge of the green at the par-3 eighth, following it with a flamboyant fist pump, to seize a five-stroke lead and played one-over on the final 10 holes for the victory.

Els, who began the round six behind Woods, made a determined run at his fourth Major title but could not close the gap, foiled in part by birdie misses from six feet at the ninth and eight feet at the 11th.

Els birdied four of the first 10 holes, including a 25-footer at the third and a 20-footer at the par-three eighth, but took his first bogey at the 12th, then answered with birdies at 13 and 14 to reach 6-under, two back of Woods.

Yet when Woods opened the door with a bogey at 14, the South African found the left trees off the 16th tee and missed a 40-footer for par, then fell three back with Woods’ birdie at the 15th, spelling doom for his victory hopes.

Woods made an eight-foot par save at the first hole but took a bogey at the second. He answered with a 10-foot birdie at the fourth, his third birdie in as many days there.

Woods withstood a poor drive at the par-5 fifth a six-foot par putt and sank a five-foot birdie putt at the seventh.

Woods sparked his strong effort with a seven-under 63 on Friday, matching the best round ever fired in a Major and missing out on an unprecedented 62 when a birdie putt at the 18th curled around the cup and stayed out.

The fourth PGA Championship victory moved Woods into sole possession of third on the event’s all-time win list, one shy of the all-time mark set by Walter Hagen in 1927 and equalled by Nicklaus in 1980.

Woods also became only the seventh golfer to win a major the week after winning a PGA event, the first to do so at the PGA Championship. Woods won the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational by eight strokes a week ago.

At Moosec (USA), riding on a birdie spree, Arjun Atwal carded a three-under 68 on the final day and vaulted to tied 21st in the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic on the Nationwide Tour in the United States.

Atwal birdied the fourth, sixth, 10th and 16th and his sole bogey of the day came on the ninth. Atwal, whose putting form has been see-sawing, had a good final day with just 25 putts. — Agencies

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