Tiger Woods achieved another milestone, surpassing Arnold Palmer in tournament victories after winning his fourth straight title at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
World number one Woods beat Stewart Cink eight and seven in the 36-hole final for his third Match Play title and earned sole fourth place on the career list with 63 PGA Tour victories. He is only one behind Ben Hogan, gradually overtaking legend after legend in his pursuit of Sam Snead’s record of 81.
After his victory in Marana, Arizona, Tiger started talking about Palmer in the same way others probably talk about him. He said on the PGA Tour website:
“I think anytime you’re associated with Arnold and what he’s done with the game of golf, it’s always a positive thing. It’s hard to believe it’s been over 50 years of him just being the flagship of golf on a global scale, not just here in the United States. He’s played all around the world and he’s carried golf. He’s what brought golf into the mainstream on TV.â€
Tiger has also won seven of his past eight events, finishing second in the one he didn’t win, and believes he is playing the best golf of his life. He says he is enjoying the fact that he has an armory of shots to choose from and the ability to correct his swing whenever something goes wrong.
It is something that Cink, and others like him, would like to have, and, indeed, the runner-up suggested cutting Woods open to see what is there. It is strange to think that Woods was close to tumbling out of the tournament in the first round when he trailed J.B. Holmes by three shots with five to play.
He then fought hard to beat Aaron Baddeley over 20 holes in the third round but Cink never managed to get so close.
With major season approaching, it seems Woods is establishing himself as a favourite to win at least a couple. But isn’t it that way any year?
Over on the European Tour, golfers are preparing for one of the highlights of the season with the Johnnie Walker Classic teeing off at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon, Delhi.
It is the first time the globe-trotting annual event is being held in India with Australia’s Adam Scott, Fijian Vijay Singh, Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh among the contenders.
Also going for glory is India’s SSP Chowrasia, who won the inaugural Indian Masters recently for his first European Tour title. Anton Haig is the defending champion and he will also be in the line-up.
This is the first time that prize money won from this tournament will count towards the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. Probably because Chowrasia won so much from his Indian victory that if his rivals don’t have big money tournaments to compete in, this season’s Merit race is as good as over.
