Ladies and gentlemen, Tiger Woods is the 2013 PLAYERS Champion!!
Last putt. The winning one.
That last putt for par proved to be more than enough for Woods to lift the trophy he last won 11 years ago in 2001. Yes, Woods is the champion again. With a Final Round score of 2-Under 70, 13-Under 275, two shots ahead of three others.
The 2013 PLAYERS Champion being interviewed at the prize presentation ceremony
Those three in Joint-2nd are Kevin Streelman, Jeff Maggert, and one of the overnight Joint-Leaders, David Lingmerth, all at 11-Under. The other co-leader at the start of the final round, Sergio Garcia, finished with a 76, 7-Under Total, in 8th place with six others: CIMB Classic 2010 winner Ben Crane, Rory McIlroy, Brandt Snedeker, Aussie Marc Leishman, and Lee Westwood.
On the way to winning his 2nd PLAYERS Championship title, 4th PGA title of the year, and 78th PGA Tour victory, Woods has been helped not just by his own golf skills and mental toughness but also by the others, most especially by Sergio Garcia.
Earlier, Tiger had dunked his tee shot into the water on Hole 14. And ended up with a double bogey, bringing him back to 12-Under. Allowing the chasers to close up.
Should have been but did not happen.
All tied at 12-Under
Jeff Maggert put one ball into the water at Hole 17 and he came up with a double-bogey. Eventually he recorded 2-Under 70, 11-Under total. If not for that double-bogey…
Hole 17 ate the 49-year-old up a bit. He put his first ball into the water, ending up with a double-bogey. A birdie at the last brought him back to Joint-Second, not the trophy.
Lingmerth bogeyed 14th but when he landed his second shot on the 18th green, expectations were a bit high that he would go into a play-off with Tiger. But while he escaped any trouble at 17th, the 18th was his monster. He ended up with a bogey. But what a story it could have been: a rookie who won his 5th major. But not today, perhaps another day another time.
But this championship would be remembered, rather unfairly, on the luckless Sergio Garcia. Similar to how people remember Greg Norman’s collapse at the Masters more than Nick Faldo winning it.
Sergio Garcia came up to Hole 17 at equal 13-Under with Tiger, sharing the lead. But here, in front of a few thousand fans, Garcia somehow blew it.
His scorecard read “7”. A quad-bogey. Just like that and the Spaniard was gone.
How about a few of the others?
- Roberto Castro, the 1st Round leader shot 71 today for 5-Under 283
- Rory McIlroy came back with 7-Under 281, after a final 70
- 2012 Champion Matt Kuchar posted 71-66-75-76=288, Even Par
- Steve William couldn’t help Adam Scott this time (as he did at the Masters). Scott shot 69-68-75-71=283, 5-Under
To the dominant Tiger Woods, congrats and much thanks. Staying awake the whole night watching you on tv had been worth it.
Notes:
- photos and videos are all grabbed using my smartphone from the tv in my living room. So you will understand the quality.
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