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Tiger Woods’ miserable year ended with more disappointment as he gave up a four-stroke lead and suffered a crushing playoff loss to Graeme McDowell in the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday.
It marked the first time that Woods, without a win since the 2009 Australian Open, lost a tournament in which he led by at least three strokes going into the final round at Sherwood Country Club, California.
Under pressure from US Open champion McDowell, Woods let his grip on the lead slip in his own event with a double bogey on the 13th that the Northern Irishman birdied for a two-stroke lead.
But McDowell’s advantage slipped away as he bogeyed twice to send the pair into the final hole on level terms.
Both players birdied, McDowell sinking a difficult 25-foot putt and then Woods keeping his nerve with a three-footer that sent the pair into a sudden-death playoff.
Returning to the 18th, McDowell hit a tree but had a decent lie and was able to find the green with his second and he again drained a putt from over 20 feet to leave Woods putting for a birdie to stay in the playoff.
“I fought hard today ... it was close, we had a good battle again – I felt right, I was right there,” said Woods.
Although the tournament is not officially part of the PGA Tour, it clearly meant a lot to Woods who celebrated his great second shot on the 18th in regulation with an aggressive fist pump of vintage variety.
There was also plenty at stake for McDowell who showed great poise to come out on top against the backdrop of a crowd clearly, and vocally, hoping to see Woods capture his first tournament win since his personal troubles began.
“It’s just been an amazing year, I can’t say enough about it,” said McDowell, who triumphed in the US Open at
Thirteen months ago, the golfing world was stunned when allegations of serial philandering emerged to leave Woods’ private life in turmoil. With his marriage breaking up, he struggled for form on the course before ending his PGA Tour season without a single title for the very first time since he turned professional in 1996.
Meanwhile, world number one Lee Westwood cruised to victory by eight shots in the Sun City Challenge on Sunday, shooting a four-under-par 68 in the final round to finish on 17-under-par 271.
South African Tim Clark (71) was second on nine-under with his compatriot Refief Goosen (68) and
Westwood’s victory had always looked likely after starting the day five strokes ahead of fellow Englishman Ross Fisher and Clark.
He sealed it in the grand manner, chipping in from 50 feet for birdie on the 18th hole.
Westwood’s only dropped shot on the final day had cone on the tricky par-four 17th when he overshot the green, chipped to 12 feet past the hole and then left his par putt short. “I aimed to shoot the lowest round of the day and, with the conditions, I figured no one would shoot 64 to come at me,” he told reporters after his victory.
