Woods prevails to claim victory

Ten years to the day he turned professional Tiger Woods reminded everybody today that he is human – and still he won.

After losing a three-stroke lead in the last five holes Woods registered his fourth straight victory – and fifth in eight years at Firestone Country Club in Akron – by beating fellow American Stewart Cink at the fourth hole of a play-off.

An eight-foot birdie putt gave the world number one the first prize of nearly £700,000 (€1.03m) after they had tied on the 10 under par mark of 270. It was Woods’ 13th play-off win in 15 attempts.

As at the Open last month and the US PGA championship last week, a European suffered playing with Woods in the final round.

Paul Casey led by one with nine holes to play – and Woods was not even the player right on his heels at that moment.

But while the Englishman bogeyed the 11th and 13th the world number one sank birdie putts of 10 feet on the 10th, 35 feet at the 12th and then a 22-footer on the following green.

Suddenly he was three strokes clear and nobody expected any result other than another Woods win.

But it was a long time in coming. A drive into the trees on the long 16th led to a bogey six and Cink birdied that and the next to draw level.

Just as two years ago Cink was trying to lift the title six days after being handed a Ryder Cup wild card. But, five years after Woods needed seven extra holes to defeat Jim Furyk on the course, the 30-year-old was not to be denied again.

Amazingly, that makes it nine titles out of 14 in the two World Golf Championships stroke play events since they started in 1999. And his total earnings from the series is now a staggering US dollars 15million – US dollars 16million if you add two annual bonuses he was given.

Woods and Cink finished two ahead of Furyk, with Casey, three over par for the last eight holes, finishing only joint fourth in the end.

“I’m very happy with that,” he said. “First time ever playing in the final group on a Sunday (in America) and with Tiger as well that was an experience.

“I thought I played okay. I just didn’t make anything on the back nine and was a little bit unlucky on the 16th.” His pitch to the par five spun back into the water.

“It’s the softest I’ve seen that green in four or five years of being here,” Casey added.

The compensation for the Surrey golfer is that his second Ryder Cup cap is secure and there will be no need for sweating at this coming week’s BMW International Open in Munich, the final qualifying event.

Not so for Paul McGinley, however. Only 66th of the 78-strong field, he is now in the 10th and last automatic spot again with Jose Maria Olazabal having finished 22nd and expects a “dogfight” in Germany.

For very different reasons, though, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are among those who cannot climb into the top 10 and must now hope for a wild card from captain Ian Woosnam.

Westwood fell ill during the third round and withdrew from the event at the start of the final day.

The former European number one had to finish in the top six to retain any hope of qualifying automatically for next month’s match, but his Saturday 74 had dropped him to 66th place.

Westwood complained of feeling sick and feverish when he came off. A doctor was called, but antibiotics failed to do the trick and after a bad night he announced he was pulling out and flying home. Fred Couples, who also withdrew, had been staying in an adjoining hotel room.

In his favour is that with Sergio Garcia he was Europe’s top scorer in the record-breaking win in Detroit two years ago with four-and-a-half points out of five and that he is twice a winner at the K Club.

The 33-year-old looked to have little hope of a captain’s pick when he had seven successive missed cuts earlier in the season, but last month he was fourth at the European Open and joint second at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Germany.

He also began the United States PGA Championship promisingly with a 69, but fell back to 29th and then offered contrary evidence of his form on the opening two days at Firestone Country Club, following a nine over par 79 with a three under 67.

Westwood and Darren Clarke, whose wife Heather lost her cancer battle two weeks ago, are thought to be the two favourites for the wild cards and that is bad news for Poulter.

Dressed in the red and white of Arsenal Poulter’s hopes of not needing a captain’s pick were still alive when he climbed to sixth place with three straight birdies at the start of the back nine.

But he then three-putted from four feet for a double bogey six at the 13th and bogeyed the next two. Not surprisingly after ending up 13th he was in no mood to talk afterwards.

Padraig Harrington is not yet totally safe at eighth in the cup standings, but it looks heavily odds-on he will make it.

Olazabal’s fate is in the hands of others. He has decided not to play in Munich, saying he needs a rest.

The week will probably be best remembered for the bizarre ending to Woods’ second round.

He hit his second shot to the par four ninth on to a cart path over the green and the ball bounced so high it went on to the roof of the three-storey clubhouse and was lost from view.

Woods had every reason for thinking it was out of bounds or lost or both and that he would be struggling to make a double bogey. Instead the ball came off the roof and was collected by a chef in a loading bay.

That was established within the five minutes allowed to search – by seconds probably – and after being given a free drop he got out of the hole with a bogey. “A huge break” he called it at the time

Having gone on to win it looks even bigger now.