When Tiger Woods hit the last tap-in nearly eight hours after he began his round Sunday, his shirt was drenched with sweat and his mind was wrung out as well.
In trying to recall a birdie putt he made Woods cracked, “That was about 10 hours ago, wasn’t it?”
The long, wet journey into night Sunday left Woods tired but extremely satisfied. It went beyond winning his third Western Open at Cog Hill. At 21 under, he easily defeated Rich Beem by five shots.
It went beyond becoming the first player ever to win at least four tournaments for five straight seasons. It went way beyond tying the Western Open record of 267, set by Scott Hoch in 2001.
The ultimate satisfaction came in knowing that he will go to the British Open on top of his game.
“Just out of curiosity, now that I’ve come out of my so-called slump, am I the leading candidate for comeback player of the year?” Woods asked.
Woods hopes the momentum from the Western carries over to the British. He says the win was the lift he needed.
“It’s certainly a shot of confidence.”
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Woods’ three Western wins
2003
63-70-65-69-267
(21 under)
1999
68-66-68-71-273
(15 under)
1997
67-72-68-68-275
(13 under)
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Edited by the Sports staff of RedEye.
