Tiger Victorious at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Woods Wins the Tournament With a Birdie on the 18th Hole
Mar 30, 2009
Tiger hit the winning birdie to break the tie with Sean O’Hair and win the tournament for the 6th time in his career. Both were at -4 before another historic putt by Tiger on the 18th hole. It seemed that possibly the greatest player in golf history had never left for nine months. Woods and O'Hair ere having quite opposite days. O’Hair was +3 on the day, while Woods finished at -3 for the day. It was the typical Sunday Tiger, especially on the back nine.
The Excellent Round
It seemed like Woods just tried to make it dramatic. He nailed a birdie on the 16th but followed it up by a bogey on the 17th. This took him back to -4 and it looked like we were going to see a playoff hole before Tiger sank that 12-footer on the par 4. It is hard to think of any putt that has been more intense or dramatic.
Before the round was done, Tiger was actually in danger of losing his number one ranking for the first time in years. After a dramatic playoff victory last year against Rocco Mediate in the U.S. Open last year, Woods had surgery on his left knee which sidelined him for eight months. His comeback was solidified with this victory, especially the fourth round 67.
Same Old Tiger
It didn’t seem like nine months that the California native had been away from the links. Many wondered if Woods would ever be the same again. A surgery in any sport could harm the career of any great athlete but Woods showed that this would not happen to him. Tiger has won many major championships over the years and many other major tournaments he has participated in has produced victories. But this may have been the sweetest.
It was the signature celebration for Woods on the 18th hole. As the ball inched towards the hole Tiger started back pedaling and when it sank he turned to the crowd knees bent and fist pumped and clenched. Classic.
The amazing thing is Tiger is still less than 35. If his upcoming year is anything quite like this tournament, it’ll definitely be written in the history books. It’s remarkable how even with all the adversity, Tiger can come back and make it seem as if he never left.
Then again, with Tiger Woods, could you expect any different?
