Australian Geoff Ogilvy parred his final nine holes on Monday, including a crucial chip-in at the 13th, to win the World Golf Championships CA Championship and end Tiger Woods' seven-tournament winning streak.
Darkness halted Sunday's storm-interrupted final round with Ogilvy needing to finish the back nine and Woods five off the pace with seven to play. While several rivals made it close, none could deny Ogilvy a wire-to-wire win.
Ogilvy's final-round one-under par 71, including two birdies and a bogey on the front nine on Sunday, left him on 17-under par 271, one stroke ahead of Fiji's Vijay Singh, South African Retief Goosen and American Jim Furyk.
PHOTO: AFP
World No. 1 Woods, who like the runner-up trio fired a final-round 68, settled for fifth on 273 with England's Graeme Storm, Australian Nick O'Hern and American Steve Stricker next on 275.
Woods saw the end of his seven-event worldwide win streak and his US PGA win streak of five. He had also won the past three years at Doral and the past three World Golf Championship events in a row.
"I made too many mistakes. I had four 3-putts this week," Woods said. "All in all, to only finish two back with all of that was a great sign."
It was the first event Woods has played without winning since a second-place effort last September in Boston at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
The pivotal moment for Ogilvy came at the par-3 13th when he botched his first chip and hammered his par chip directly into the hole. Had he missed, a bogey or worse awaited. Instead, he won the US$8 million event.
"That [ball] was moving," Ogilvy said. "It was a funny lie. I flubbed the first one. I don't normally practice those. But I got the second one. That's why you have to keep it on line."
Ogilvy's chip-in kept him two strokes ahead of Singh and Goosen and three better than Woods.
"It was probably not that lucky to hit the flag, but it was very lucky to go in. It was definitely a nice feeling. I got away with playing a horrible hole with a par," Ogilvy said.
"All of a sudden we had a big flip around from what it could have been. It made me feel better about everything going to the 14th tee," he said.
Ogilvy had made only one bogey in his past 80 holes at Doral and the 2006 US Open champion's consistency allowed him to approach the 18th green with a one-stroke lead on Furyk and Goosen in the clubhouse and playing partner Singh.
As a a slight drizzle began, Singh fired his approach into the short rough left of the green with a sinkable birdie chip to pull level. Ogilvy followed by reaching the green and leaving his birdie putt a foot short of the hole.
Singh, who made bogeys at 13 and 14 but birdied 16 and 17, followed with a chip just inches short of the cup. Each man tapped in to conclude the drama.
Ogilvy became only the third man to win more than one World Golf event, matching Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke at two while Woods has 15.
Woods will take two weeks off before trying to win his 14th major title at the Masters as he chases the all-time record of 18 by Jack Nicklaus. He could also move past Ben Hogan to third-place alone on the all-time win list.
"You want to win all of them," Woods said. "I just have to get ready for the next one."
Woods, who would have had to match a career-best last round victory rally of five strokes to extend his win streaks, made four birdies and three bogeys on the front nine on Sunday and began Monday morning with a birdie at the 12th.
A birdie at the 15th pulled Woods within three and another at 17 pulled him within two.
Woods attacked the 18th hole, ranked hardest on the tour last season and one he had not birdied since round two in 2006, but settled for par.
But Ogilvy, 30, was two ahead of Woods with two to play and Goosen and Furyk were one shot better with one to play. When both parred the 18th as well to reach the clubhouse on 272, Woods' win streak was officially over.
Goosen, who managed his first top-10 finish since last year's Masters, birdied 14 and sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the 16th to move within one of Ogilvy but just missed a 40-foot birdie bid at the 18th.
"It's nice to get the game going a little bit," Goosen said. "This was my fifth event in a row, and I was determined to keep going to get my game in shape. I felt playing a lot was the only way to get my game back into shape."
The South African said he and Woods' other rivals were relieved that the World No. 1 had finally lost, two weeks ahead of the Masters.
"We are glad, yes," Goosen said. "I'm sure the media is not glad but we as players, it's nice to see somebody else lift a trophy for a change."
Furyk birdied the 15th and 17th to pull within a stroke as well but his par left him one back as well.
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