I've been blessed, says Woods after latest triumph

Tiger Woods' latest golfing feat has been hailed as “an amazing accomplishment” by the man likely to partner him at next month’s Ryder Cup.

Woods notched up his 50th US Tour win when he beat Jim Furyk by three shots at the Buick Open in Michigan and Furyk, for whom not even a closing 64 was good enough, added: “We haven’t seen an equal of that in the last I don’t know how many years.

“Definitely my era hasn’t seen it. He’s a tough guy – he’s the guy to go out there and beat and it’s exciting for me or the other players to go out and try to apply some pressure. You want to be trying to beat the best and it’s just very difficult.

“Obviously when he gets the lead, he finds a way to he puts the ball in the fairways, he puts the ball on the green, makes some pars and birdies. He’s not giving much up.”

It was Woods’ second successive victory, the first being his successful defence of the British Open at Hoylake, and for this one he had four rounds of 66 for a 24-under-par total. His 28 birdies were a personal best.

The world number one has not yet completed 10 years as a professional and commented: “I’ve had a lot of just really wonderful things happen to me on tour in my career and I’ve been very blessed.

“I started out just hoping to get my card, I was able to do that and, lo and behold, I got on a nice little run there. It’s been just a great ride really.

“I didn’t play for a while (around the time his father died in May) and didn’t play well at the US Open at all, but I went back to the drawing board and I’ve been building ever since.

“My swing’s getting better, but you never get there (perfection). As an athlete you’re always trying to get better no matter what.”

Sam Snead holds the record number of tour wins with 83 and when asked if he could get to that Woods replied: “Hopefully, hopefully. It’s a long way away and that’s a big number. You know it’s going to be a lifetime, a career basically, to get to that point and attain something like that. It’s not going to happen next year. It’s going to take a long time.

“It took me 10 years to get here and hopefully I can continue playing well over the next 10, 20 years.”

The most staggering statistic is that Woods had reached 50 wins from just 196 events.

Just six other players – Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson and Billy Casper – have achieved a half-century, but 30-year-old Woods is three years younger than the next youngest, Nicklaus.

It was the 48th occasion in his career that he had taken at least a share of the lead into the final round and the 43rd time he had turned it into success.

Moreover, he made it 21 out of 21 in US Tour events that he won from being at least two strokes ahead with 18 holes to play. Worldwide he has now triumphed 68 times in 241 tournaments.

As at Hoylake, where a demonstrator sprayed some paint on the final green, he had to cope with a distraction before wrapping up the title. Just as he putted on the 17th someone in the gallery threw an apple across the line.

The win obviously increased his massive lead at the top of the American Ryder Cup table, while Vaughn Taylor’s closing 40-foot par putt for a share of fourth lifted him back into the top 10 at seventh with only two more events to go.

Meanwhile, Billy Mayfair, still in with a chance of making the team and 40 yesterday, is recovering from surgery for testicular cancer.

The problem was diagnosed earlier this week and the operation carried out in Arizona on Thursday.

Mayfair, who hopes he might be able to return at the US PGA Championship starting on Thursday week, said: “I’m doing well and I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support.”