Woods seals famous victory

Tiger Woods completed his comeback from knee surgery by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in dramatic fashion at the final hole at Bay Hill on Sunday.

Woods landed the 66th PGA Tour title of his career and his sixth victory at Bay Hill in just his third event since returning from reconstructive knee surgery nine months ago.

The world number one and defending champion started the day in second place, five shots behind overnight, seven-under-par leader O’Hair, but he clawed back that deficit in 15 holes and took the lead at the 16th.

There was still a twist in the tail as Woods bogeyed the 17th to fall back into a tie at four under par heading to the last.

Both players found the fairway off the 18th tee but while O’Hair sent his second shot to inside 39 feet, his rival put the pressure on by placing his second 16 feet from the hole.

O’Hair sent his putt to three feet, leaving Woods to putt for the title. He had needed a 25-foot birdie to see off Bart Bryant on the same hole 12 months ago, with O’Hair watching him as his chance had gone earlier in the round.

This time O’Hair had to watch again with much more on the line as, in near darkness, Woods drained his putt to take the title and seal another famous victory, nine months on from his last triumph in the US Open at Torrey Pines.

“It feels good, it feels really good,” Woods said.

“It feels good to be back in contention again and to feel the rush and to have to deal with everything coming down the stretch.

“It’s been a while, obviously since the US Open that I’ve had to deal with the back nine on Sunday and it was good.”

O’Hair, Woods and Zach Johnson, on one under par, had teed off in an expanded final group of the day following a more than 90-minute rain delay following heavy rain in central Florida.

When the leaders did finally get their rounds under way, Woods quickly applied the pressure on O’Hair with birdies at the second and third holes, the leader carding a bogey at the latter to see his lead cut to two strokes.

Woods slipped up momentarily with a bogey at the par-four fourth but moved to within a shot of the lead at the par-three seventh, sending his tee shot at the 197-yard hole to six feet and putting for birdie while O’Hair bogeyed after three-putting from 30 feet.

O’Hair’s rollercoaster continued through the turn as he birdied the ninth only to bogey the 10th while Woods made par throughout the stretch and found himself still one shot behind his rival after 11.

Woods caught O’Hair at the 15th green with a birdie three as his rival parred and with three holes to play the two Americans were tied in the lead at five under, three shots clear of the field.

Woods missed the fairway off the 16th tee but O’Hair failed to capitalise and handed his rival the advantage by sending his second shot with a hop off the bank and into water on the way to a bogey.

Woods laid up with his second shot, 109 yards from the hole but his third shot was a beauty, a pitching wedge to inside four feet as O’Hair waited to play his fourth shot having taken a penalty drop on the greenside fringe.

Woods holed his par putt and with two to play was alone in the lead at five under for the first time since winning the US Open from Rocco Mediate at the 91st hole last June.

Then came the bogey at 17, Woods having to blast out of a greenside bunker, his ball right up against its steep front wall and resting on a bent left knee that had undergone the reconstructive surgery last summer.

He showed no ill effects and so it proved as he returned to the winner’s circle minutes later with a closing 67 to finish at five under, one shot better than O’Hair, whose 73 still gave him second place with Johnson third at two under following a 69.

Australia’s John Senden shot a 67 to finish in a tie for fourth at one under alongside Americans Pat Perez, Scott Verplank and Nick Watney with their compatriots Kenny Perry and first-round leader Jason Gore tied for eighth at level par with Sweden’s Daniel Chopra.

Padraig Harrington had moved into contention at two under after six holes before slipping back, closing with bogeys at the 16th and 18th to end the tournament at one over par in a tie for 11th.