News
Tiger Woods Claims First Australian Golf Title With Masters Win
Mon, 16 Nov 2009
Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) --Tiger Woods won golf’s Australian Masters after shooting a 4-under par final round to take his first career victory in the country.
Woods, the world’s top-ranked player, rebounded from a third-round slump to finish with a 14-under par total of 274 at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club, two shots ahead of Australian Greg Chalmers.
Playing his first event in Australia for 11 years, Woods entered round four in a three-way tie for the lead after blowing a three-shot advantage with an even-par 72 yesterday. He made amends with five birdies on the last day to become the third American to claim the Australian Masters’ gold jacket after Gene Littler in 1980 and Mark O’Meara in 1986.
“This has been phenomenal,” Woods said after also picking up a crystal globe trophy and winner’s check for A$270,000 ($252,000). “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back. I promise it won’t be as long.”
Woods, who was paid a $3 million appearance fee according to local media reports, took the title with rounds of 66, 68, 72 and 68 at the 7,059-yard Kingston Heath course, which is nestled in Melbourne’s so-called Sandbelt.
It’s the 14-time major champion’s seventh win of 2009, after six victories on the U.S. PGA Tour this year.
Chalmers, who was tied with Woods and James Nitties overnight at 10-under, failed to match Woods’s accuracy on the fairways and greens today to finish with a 2-under 70. Jason Dufner of the U.S. and France’s Francois Delamontagne tied for third at 10-under.
Opening Birdie
Woods opened with a birdie and made another on the fifth hole to take the outright lead at 12-under. He increased his advantage on the next hole, using the camber of the green to get his approach shot to within 2 1/2 feet of the cup.
A 268-meter drive off the 12th tee set up an eagle chance, though he missed his putt by inches to settle for a birdie and go three shots ahead with six to play.
A bogey at the 13th when he was put off by an accredited cameraman brought him back to within two of the field. He threw his club to the ground and ripped off his cap after sending his second shot into a dip to the right of the green.
“I felt that I was in control of the tournament when I made that birdie on the 12th,” Woods added. “The photographer took that control right away from me. It looked like I was going to build on my lead through those two holes but I actually lost a shot.”
The incident didn’t affect his rhythm. He went three ahead at the 15th before Chalmers birdied the same hole to get within two shots again.
Packed Galleries
After two-putting from the edge of the back of the green to rescue par on the 17th, Woods smashed his drive straight down the 18th fairway before closing his tournament in front of galleries that were 10-deep in places for the fourth day running. Chalmers couldn’t make up the two shots on the last.
A crowd of 25,132 turned up for the final round, lifting the total over the four days to more than 95,000.
Woods, who’s now won 83 titles worldwide, failed on his three previous visits to Australia. He was on the losing U.S. Presidents Cup team in 1998 and finished tied for fifth at the 1996 Australian Open and eighth at the Australian Masters the following year.
“Now I’ve now won on every continent, which is nice, except for Antarctica,” he said. “To have won on every playable continent is something that I’ve always wanted to do and now I’ve done that.”
