I am sure Anthony Kim will beat Tiger Woods in stroke play one day though. When that day comes, Tiger will have a good challenger to compete with.
Overall, I think everyone did a great job here, there’s a lot of veterans who are at the AT&T National this week, something I haven’t seen before. Interesting to note that people were applauding for a war hero who was on his wheelchair as the final group walked up the 18th hole.
Congrats to Tiger Woods on his comeback 2009 and winning the 2009 AT&T National!
Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2008, having earned an estimated $110 million from winnings and endorsements.
Woods has won fourteen professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player, and 67 PGA Tour events, third all time.He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.
Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus’ record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year more than once.
Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters Tournament, golf’s increased popularity is attributed to Woods’ presence. He is credited for dramatically increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new audiences as the first person of African American descent to win the Masters, and for drawing the largest TV audiences in golf history.
Mahan finished his round at 4:46 PM ET as Tiger was butchering No. 11 for the fourth consecutive day. (He finished 5-over for the week on the hole.) For the next 70 minutes, Mahan kicked it in the clubhouse as Woods parred holes 12-15. And then, as CBS showed Mahan finally making his way to the practice range, Tiger drained a 20-footer on the 16th for birdie and a one-shot lead. No idea if Mahan promptly headed to the grill room for a few pops, but even if he didn’t, he had to be fully aware of his fate.
On Nos. 17 and 18, Tiger did what Tiger usually does when he’s in the lead on Sunday: fairways, greens, and two putts. It was Woods’ first win at his own event, and his 68th PGA Tour victory. Mahan made it interesting, but the odds were against him; prior to today, Tiger had the 54-hole tournament lead 48 times in his career, and won 45 of them. Now it’s 46 for 49.
Anthony Kim, the defending champion, played in the last group with Woods, but the highlight of his round came on the first hole after a birdie briefly gave him the lead. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the rough, and that, coupled with his putter abandoning him for the first time all week (Kim was a mind-blowing 48 of 50 on putts inside 10 feet during the first 54 holes), led to a Sunday 71. It was good enough for third place, but he was never in position to threaten Woods.
Tiger’s AT&T victory is reminiscent of his mastery at Memorial two weeks before the U.S. Open. This time, though, we’ll be talking about how Woods is primed for Turnberry, clearly the favorite. Then again, Tiger is always the favorite. He’ll be going for major victory No. 15 at the Open Championship; worst-case scenario would be another top-10 finish because, well, that’s how he rolls.
As for the overall event, Tiger sounded just as excited about what he was able to accomplish outside the ropes. When CBS analyst David Feherty asked if this was the vision he and his father shared for his tournament, Woods responded, “Absolutely. This is a dream [my father] and I had of having an event where we could spread the word about what we’re trying to do for kids, as well as honor the military. And it’s come together in three years and it’s been absolutely incredible.”
Hunter Mahan started the day at the AT&T National — the tournament Tiger Woods has hosted for three years now — tied for 16th, six shots off the lead. And with just about every hole location qualifying as a sucker pin, nobody gave him much of a chance. Which is why it was something of a surprise when he signed for a 62, good for the top spot on the leaderboard … right next to Tiger.