Tiger Woods Ends Five-Year Title Drought at PGA Tour Championship, Promises More
Tiger Woods celebrates his victory at the PGA Tour Championship, after sealing the title with a one-over 71, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on September 23 (Pic: Twitter).
Tiger Woods is back to winning ways and insisted the victory at the PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on September 23, which ended a five-year title drought, is not a one-off. In fact, the former World No. 1, said he is confident of surpassing Sam Snead's all-time PGA Tour title record of 82, after beating Billy Horschel by two shots to seal the championship.
Woods finished the weekend with one-over-par 71 to win the season-ending tournament, his 80th PGA crown. Tiger, who has captured 14 Majors in his career, won last in August 2013 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Since then, he has had a slump of form, struggling with personal issues and injuries that forced him to undergo four back surgery.
Last year, Woods was ranked 1,199th in the world after a spinal fusion surgery that saw him out of action for many months. An emotional Woods expressed his joy at having put the bad and painful phase behind him.
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“I was having a hard time not crying on that last hole,” said the 42-year-old. “I just can’t believe I’ve pulled this off.”
“It was just a grind out there,” Woods added. “I loved every bit of it, the fight, the grind and the tough conditions.
“At the beginning of the year, it was a tall order but as the year progressed and I proved I could play, I knew I could do it again.”
Woods admitted he was lucky to be back playing golf, especially at a level that could make him a title contender. An year or so back, things looked very bleak.
“To kind of get to the 80 mark is a big number,” he added. “Sam is still ahead of me. I've still got, I feel like, a chance to play some more golf and maybe I'll keep chipping away at that number and maybe surpass it. But I just think that what I've gone through and what I've dealt with, I've gotten lucky, to be honest with you. I'm not playing a full contact sport or I've got to move people around in that regard. At 42 years old with a fused lower spine; that's not going to happen. But in this sport, it can.”
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Woods had a three-shot lead over Justin Rose and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy going into the final day. McIlroy, however, managed only a 74 to finish tied seventh.
Woods, despite three bogeys, managed to keep his lead in tact by a whisker. “It's been tough. I've had a not-so-easy last couple of years,” he said. "I've worked my way back. I couldn't have done it without the help of all the people around me.
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“Some of the other players knew what I was struggling with. It was really special to see them at the green on 18. It's just hard to believe I won the Tour Championship,” he added.
Meanwhile Justin Rose, who finished tied fourth on Sunday, captured the season-long FedEx Cup title, capping off a remarkable season.
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