Back in the winner’s circle
So Tiger Woods is a winner again?
It had been 1,876 days since Tiger Woods last won a PGA Tour event.
But the man who once wondered whether he’d ever lift a club in anger again has produced what many thought was impossible – claiming yet another trophy.
The Tour Championship, at East Lake in Atlanta, is Tiger’s 80th victory and will surely go down as one of his most memorable.
The scenes at the final hole certainly will, with thousands of spectators following Woods down the fairway and surrounding the green as he moved on his victory march.
It could only happen for Tiger.
And it followed a largely vintage final round performance – one that wouldn’t have looked out of place in his prime.
He suffocated the field – finding fairways and greens and playing with supreme authority – as his much-vaunted rivals all but cowered in his presence.
Rory McIlroy now knows exactly how Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els felt for about a decade and a half.
The Northern Irishman, three shots behind at the start of play, looked shell shocked once his attack at all costs approach sank like a torpedoed battleship.
Three bogeys and a double in the middle of the front nine finished his hopes – with the four-time major winner finding it impossible to hit a fairway.
Justin Rose failed to get a flier too and, as he couldn’t exert the required pressure, the real possibility of blowing the FedEx Cup – and the $10 million bonus – started to dominate his attention.
It was largely serene for Woods until a heart stopping moment when his ball narrowly cleared the water at the par 3 15th.
He handed back a shot there, along with another at the next, as the enormity of trying to end a five-year gap without a victory naturally produced a few nerves.
But as the huge crowd chanted his name, he closed out with a par for a two shot victory over Billy Horschel and lifted his arms aloft in triumph.
Golf next year had better watch out. Tiger is on the trophy prowl once more and it will be majors on his mind in 2019.
Did Tiger also win the FedEx Cup?
No. That was our man Justin Rose.
It was calculators out time throughout the back nine as Rose struggled to keep his nose in front in the race for the FedEx Cup.
Any number of players were in the hunt for the massive $10 million bonus once the Englishman started careering down the field with bogeys at the 11th, 14th and 16th holes.
Rose needed a birdie at the last to win the FedEx Cup and an eagle to hang on to his World No. 1 status.
His approach to 18 hit the top of a greenside bunker and kicked forward giving him a long putt chance for a three.
It was inches short, but he tapped in to take the huge cash prize by a tiny margin over Woods.
He greeted it with a huge smile – wouldn’t you if you’d just won a $10 million bonus? – but his reign at the top of the rankings has lasted just two weeks.
Wait… Rose won the FedEx Cup but lost his World No. 1 spot?
Yes. We explained all last week about how Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas could all displace Rose, and DJ’s 3rd-place at East Lake has lifted him back to the summit.
Best quote
Tiger Woods:
I had a hard time not crying on the last hole. I had to suck it up and hit some shots. Once I got the ball on the green, it was done. I could handle it from there.
Best moments
✔️ Middle of the fairway
✔️ 292 yards
✔️ Club twirl.@TigerWoods means business at East Lake ?: https://t.co/hE5jyKhCb5pic.twitter.com/qZbkrP0snC
— National Club Golfer (@NCGMagazine) September 23, 2018
1 hole.
1 birdie.@TigerWoods leads by 4 at the @PlayoffFinale. pic.twitter.com/0ONDxipKrG— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 23, 2018
13th hole.
13 feet.
13-under.@TigerWoods leads by 5 with 5 to play.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/r5UXx4JXTb— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 23, 2018
There are no words. ?
We're witnessing history.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/B7ctiJNFkU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 23, 2018
GOAT. ? That is all. pic.twitter.com/kHdtJ9MMOY
— National Club Golfer (@NCGMagazine) September 23, 2018
TIGER WOODS. IS. BACK. ?pic.twitter.com/LsU5QYl7jm
— National Club Golfer (@NCGMagazine) September 23, 2018
The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be?
Tiger’s far-fetched ending might be just the beginning
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
