Controversy, drama, excitement, despair, elation; the final round of the 40th Players Championship had it all.
After one of the most compelling finishes we’ve seen at TPC Sawgrass for some time, it was world number one Tiger Woods who claimed the crystal trophy to continue his absolutely remarkable start to the 2013 season.
In his 300th start on the PGA Tour, Woods claimed his 78th win. (As it happens, he also won on his 100th and 200th – Got to love symmetry). It maintains his stunning run of form this year, and his victory today is his fourth of 2013. To put this into perspective in terms of Woods’ career, Tiger has won four events before the 1st of June on just one other occasion – 2000, from which he went on to win the next four major championships.
After completing the third round on Sunday morning, Tiger was tied for the lead with Sergio Garcia and David Lingmerth. During a final round where many challengers threatened before fading away, Woods took control of the tournament after playing his opening 13 holes in 3-under. But it was on the 14th tee, that when victory looked assured, Tiger wobbled. Finding the water left off the tee, Tiger made double bogey and fell back into the pack.
Suddenly Garcia, Streelman, Maggert, Lingmerth, Stenson, Laird and Palmer found themselves with a chance to win. But a birdie on the 16th restored Woods’ position, as the majority of these players fell away over the tricky closing stretch at Sawgrass. But it was Garcia who held his resolve for longest, and he found himself standing on the tee of the infamous 17th tied for the lead.
But it was here that the Spaniard, who had been engulfed in a war of words with the world number one all weekend, suffered a disastrous collapse. In a series of events reminiscent of Len Mattiace in 1998, who took eight on the 17th to lose by four shots, Garcia found the water twice on the controversial par three, as he attempted to play aggressively towards the tucked away pin.
Sergio posted a quadruple bogey seven on the par three, and with Tiger playing the 18th in fine fashion, signing for a closing par four, the 40th Players Championship was his, with adoring girlfriend Lindsey Vonn looking on.
For Woods, a second Players Championship title, 12 years after his first, on a venue where he has not performed consistently well, must represent a significantly satisfying personal achievement. He performed magnificently all week, with not just the quality of his play being impressive, but the manner in which he plotted his way around the notoriously tricky Pete Dye layout was admirable. He was patient, played for position, and missed in the right places.
These are all facets that are crucial to winning a major championship, particularly at a venue like Merion, where the 113th U.S. Open will be contested next month. Course management is an integral part of being successful at a venue of the nature of Merion, and indeed Sawgrass. You can't overpower these venues, you have to plot your way round as you would in a game of chess. He almost certainly viewed this week, at least partly, as preparation for the next major.
But this is a significant event in its own right, and probably the most satisfying victory since his last major victory at Torrey Pines in 2008. Much has happened in the career of Tiger Woods since then, with numerous ups and downs, but he is most certainly approaching another peak of his extraordinary career.
In fact, he may already be at that peak.
Woods has won seven events on the PGA Tour in just over 13 months. (That is a career total for an excellent player on Tour). His opening to 2013 is the most impressive, in terms of number of wins, at this stage of the season, in his career. These achievements should not be underestimated, as he comes ever closer to Sam Snead’s all-time-win record on the Tour. Yes, he has not won a major since 2008, but that will surely change in the coming months.
Some will say that Tiger will never be truly “back” until he wins a major. Ultimately, Tiger never “left”. He just went through a slump in his career, caused by personal problems and injury that prevented him from rebuilding his game under coach Sean Foley. In the winter of 2011, Woods was injury free, and was able to embed these changes into his game. And he hasn’t looked back since, and appears to be continually improving.
All great players have suffered a slump in their career. Every player in the game has been in that situation at least once. But the great players recover from them, and return to their best. This incarnation of Tiger Woods is almost as good as we have ever seen.
As he said after the final round: "Apart from that tee shot (on the 14th) I really played well. I'm just trying to get better and I've had a good start to the year."
Getting better. That’s what Tiger has done during this past year, as he prepares to launch an assault upon Merion, as he attempts to win his 15th major championship, five years to the day since his 14th.
On Mothers Day, Woods won his second Players Championship. On Fathers Day, he’ll be trying to become the United States Open champion.
They call the Players the unofficial “fifth major”. Well, for Tiger, it’s about time that he won a real one again.
And I wouldn’t bet against him.