First title in two years for Tiger

Woods wins Chevron World Challenge with birdie-birdie finish

Roaring back: Tiger celebrates his birdie for victory at Chevron on the 18th green of Sherwood CC

As Tiger Woods rolled in a 12-foot putt to clinch his first win in over two years at the Chevron World Challenge, the yells of a typically raucous PGA Tour crowd rang round Sherwood Country Club: ‘Tiger’s back!’ they hollered. 

It has been a long two years since Woods last lifted silverware. In the 26 tournaments Tiger has competed in since the 2009 Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, the previously untouchable 14-time-major winner’s aura on and off the course has been well and truly shattered.

His marriage disintegrated, dogged by recurring injuries, split from long-time caddy Steve Williams and undergoing questionable swing changes under new coach Sean Foley, Woods slumped to a lowly 58^th in the world.

However, despite the numerous prolonged absences and false starts, in the wake of his first ‘W’ in 749 days, Woods said he didn’t regard this as a comeback victory.

“It’s pretty funny,” said Woods. “One of my buddies texted me this morning and he was saying just an old LL Cool J lyric: ‘Can’t call it a comeback; been here for years.’ I can’t wait to text him back.”

However, no matter how he downplayed the significance of his long awaited win in the press room afterwards, Tiger’s almighty fist-pump celebration on the 18^th green revealed and released 24 months of frustration.

One behind playing partner Zach Johnson with two holes to play, Tiger birdied 17 and 18 for a three-under-par 69 to edge out the former Masters champion by a single stroke.

While it was an impressive win considered within the context of that final group, it has to be noted that only 18 players teed it up in the end-of-season event in aid of the Tiger Woods Foundation in Southern California.

For those 17 other competitors, of whom Steve Stricker was the highest-ranked, this was final tournament of a long and arduous season that had come to a globe-trotting climax in recent weeks with the Presidents Cup in Royal Melbourne.

The FedEx Cup and Money List concluded, the PGA Tour’s ‘Challenge Series’ events are regarded as the depth of the off-season.

In Europe, though, there is still plenty to play for. Requiring nothing less than victory to keep his hopes alive of catching world no.1 Luke Donald in the Race to Dubai, Rory McIlroy posted a scintillating final round 65 to clinch victory in the Hong Kong Open.

Donald, meanwhile, chose to compete in the lucrative Nedbank Challenge at Sun City, where the world’s third-ranked player, Lee Westwood strolled to victory in commanding fashion.

Woods will be up against all three – Donald, Westwood and McIlroy – when he next tees it up in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered