Woods Holds on For Another Major

Tiger Woods, the “king” of golf, was bracing himself as he walked to the 15th hole (par four) of the final round of the PGA championship. He was leading by a five-stroke advantage until he missed a 1.2m par putt on the 14th hole (par three). This put the two players tied for second place, Woody Austin (USA) and Ernie Els (South Africa), just one stroke behind him.

Woods, however, is known for not losing leads. He has won all 12 of the major events in which he has entered the final round in the lead.

After teeing off on the 15th hole with a four-iron and getting the ball just 4.5m away from the hole with a seven-iron, he grabbed a birdie. After pumping his fist in the air, he pointed at the winner’s cup with a big grin on his face. He made straight par saves with only three holes left in the game and did it again.

He hugged two-month-old Sam, who like Tiger, was dressed in red, and his wife Elin in celebration.

This was at the 89th Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Monday.

Woods bettered his score by one stroke to finish with 272 strokes and eight under par. He beat Austin by two strokes and Els by three. This was his first victory in a major tournament this year.

He won the championship two years in a row and this was his fourth PGA Championship win. He received the trophy and 1.26 million dollars for the victory.

Woods has 13 wins in major tournaments. He is just five wins behind Jack Nicklaus’ 18.

“I finally feel as if I have achieved something great. It was nerve racking to know that my wife and daughter were looking at me the whole time,” said Woods, who had said that despite having the most wins and prize money this year, he felt he had more to achieve.

Woods seldom gets overtaken in the final round, because not only is his physical condition in top shape, so is his mental condition. He has the confidence, because he has been the best in his age group ever since he was five years old. He never doubts himself, even in the worst of situations.

Woods’ father, who passed away recently, used to throw empty cans at him during practice when he was playing in the junior leagues. Woods says that this prepared him well for the big games.

Woods’ average record in major tournaments was 69.23 strokes. His competitors, who played in the same group, had an average of 73.04 strokes. Stephen Ames (Canada) who played along with Woods, finished with 76 strokes.

Meanwhile, Choi Kyung-ju (Nike Golf) fell two more strokes behind in the final round to end the match with 282 strokes (two over par), placing 12th.

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