Tiger Woods was victorious on Sunday at Sherwood Country Club, winning the Chevron World Challenge by one stroke. His 10-foot downhill birdie putt was good enough to beat Zach Johnson by one shot at 10-under 278. The win moved him from 52 to 21 in the world rankings.
The Chevron tournament isn’t a regular PGA Tour event, it was actually established by Woods to benefit his charities, and he is the host. The field of 18 top ranked players gave him a run for his money but he ended the day as top dog. Last year he lost the event in a playoff with Graeme McDowell.
The tarnished PGA superstar said, “It feels good. I’ve been in contention twice this year, which is not very often. I had the lead at the Masters on the back nine, and obviously had a chance at the Aussie Open.”
He has refocused on getting fit and it seems to be paying off after a 749-day dry spell. He said, “I had to get healthy and to where I was strong and explosive again so I could practice. It basically starts with that. I was finally able to practice.”
Woods will be 36 at the end of December, and saw his last victory at the Australian Masters on November 15, 2009. Less than two weeks later he crashed his car and unleashed an extramarital scandal on Thanksgiving evening. His union with Elin Nordegren could not withstand the parade of women who came out of the woodwork for their 15 minutes of fame.
Tiger won on Sunday with a new caddy on the bag, after dumping Steve Williams in July. Woods hired Joe LaCava at the end of September and told reporters, “Joe is an outstanding caddie, and I have known him for many years. I’ve personally seen the great job he did for Freddie Couples.”
LaCava left Couples when injuries caused the veteran to significantly curtail his tour schedule. He then hooked up with Dustin Johnson, a long driving up-and-comer with five tour wins, but decided to approach Woods and his agent, Mark Steinberg, after Williams got fired.
Tiger moved into a new $50 million home last year on Jupiter Island. It boasts ocean views and a 4-hole golf course.
Check out Tiger’s winning putt and victorious reaction on video:
Photo: Video Screen Grab