Tiger Woods completed his 75th PGA Tour success by triumphing by four shots despite dropping four shots over the last five holes for a 14-under total after the final round of the fog-delayed Farmers Insurance Open yesterday at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.
The former world number one, a six-times winner of the PGA Tour event at the venue, birdied three of his first seven holes to move to 17 under overall when play was suspended for the day in fading light on Sunday. The 14-time Major winner birdied the 13th before dropping a shot on the next. He then double bogeyed the 15th, and dropped a shot on the 17th before finishing with a par five on the last.
Brandt Snedeker and Josh Teater were joint runners-up on 10-under par.
Woods signalled he is likely to be a formidable force at this year’s majors as he rekindled memories of his best form. The dominance he has so far displayed at one of his favourite venues has certainly shaken much of the golfing world.
Though not the player he was in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he dominated the game, Woods appears to have completed the finishing touches to the fourth swing change of his professional career. “It’s probably the whole package,” the 14-times major champion said when asked which aspect of his game had contributed most to his 17-under total after 61 holes at Torrey Pines. “I’ve driven the ball well, I’ve hit my irons well, and I’ve chipped and putted well. Well, I’ve hit good putts. They all haven’t gone in.