Tiger flies in after Akron win

Tiger Woods flew into Ireland with the rest of the American Ryder Cup team today with yet another win to his name – and with a big sigh of relief.

The world number one achieved his fourth victory in a row when he made a successful defence of the Bridgestone world championship in Akron yesterday.

It took four holes of a play-off after he had lost a three-shot lead with five to play.

“I was very lucky to even be in the play-off – I didn’t really have my game today and on the third I figured it was probably all over,” said Woods before heading to Cleveland for the specially-chartered plane arranged to give Tom Lehman’s side two days of practice and bonding at the K Club.

Stewart Cink, a wild card member of the team, had an eight-foot putt to take the title, but he missed it and on the next green Woods holed from the same distance.

With that birdie the 30-year-old claimed the 70th victory of a professional career which was exactly 10 years old on Sunday.

It was his fifth win in eight visits to the Firestone Country Club and, amazingly, his ninth success in just 14 World Golf Championships stroke play events since they started in 1999.

Woods' total earnings from the series alone is now a staggering $15m (€11.7m) - $16m (€12.5m) if including the two annual bonuses he was given before it was decided to abandon them.

He was right to talk about his luck. Not so much in the play-off, but at the final hole on his second round on Friday when he had every reason to believe his approach to the green was either lost or out of bounds when it flew on to the clubhouse roof.

However, the ball bounced into a loading bay where a chef happened to be and he was given a free drop.

Woods re-arranged a charity event so he could come to Dublin. He knows the K Club well, but wanted to pass on what tips he can three weeks before the match.

“Whether it sends out a message or not, our whole deal is to come together, gain experience, gain some knowledge on the golf course and be ready to play come time for the cup.

“It’s not about sending messages. It’s about making putts and executing (shots) and making twos, threes and fours, nothing higher.”

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

Paul Casey led by one with nine holes to play, but came home in three over par and slipped to joint fourth.

Like Sergio Garcia at Hoylake and Luke Donald in Chicago, Casey tried to look on the bright side.

“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.”

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

Jose Maria Olazabal’s 22nd place in Akron lifted him from 10th to fifth, but he is far from safe. The Spaniard has decided to rest this week, putting his place in the side at risk.

The top five come from a list of world ranking points and both Casey and Colin Montgomerie could deny Olazabal a return to the side that way.

If that happens – Casey has to finish second, but Montgomerie only 49th to go past the twice Masters champion – Olazabal reverts to 10th place in the table and Paul Broadhurst, Johan Edfors and John Bickerton could knock him out.

Broadhurst, though, would have to finish third in that scenario, Edfors second and Bickerton win.

Paul McGinley is 10th as things stand and is under threat from Broadhurst, Edfors and Bickerton as well.

Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Ian Poulter and Carl Pettersson head the list of those needing one of captain Ian Woosnam’s wild cards already.

Because of illness Westwood did not play the last round in America – he had no chance to climbing into contention for an automatic cup spot – while Poulter was in no mood to talk after dropping four late shots when he looked as though he might achieve the sixth place he required.

Clarke, of course, has not played since his wife Heather died on August 13. Woosnam is expected to talk to the Ulsterman or his manager Andrew Chandler this week about whether he wants to be considered for a wild card.