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ATLANTA – The coronation could finally happen as Tiger Woods headed for the 18th Green Sunday, a remarkable scene as thousands of spectators packed him in his march to victory by singing and cheering his name as he was on the verge of tweaking his 80th PGA Tour victory.
The last round at East Lake was not easy, but it was missed due to Woods' dangerous return in recent years as he tried to recover from several back surgeries.
Woods' beaming smile and arms raised in triumph after the last tap-in suggested that it was worth it.
One out of 71 was good enough to capture the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour's end-of-season tournament and the one that gave Woods his first win in more than five years. He won by two more shots Billy Horschel and Justin Rose won the FedEx Cup title.
"I was very moved when Rory (McIlroy) was eliminated, he finished," Woods said. "I looked around me and the tournament was over because I had already started the bunker in the green, and I won 80. 80 is a lot.I have been sitting on 79 since about five years old now, and being 80 is a good feeling. "
A birdie on the first hole set the tone for Woods, who increased his lead over partner McIlroy and Rose four shots on goal. In the same way that he has won many titles over the years, Woods has played smart and methodical golf, doing everything he could to limit mistakes while letting others do them. .
His lead was never less than two, and he only had it near the 16th hole, where Woods created a boguey and Horschel was already in the lodge.
"The game plan was to shoot below par and I managed to watch the first hole right out of the gate," he said. "Now, play the next 17 tied, and we're ready to go, I was just cringe, and I was saying (caddy) Joey (LaCava), I felt more spinning today because of the place where I kept going.I did putts practically every hole.The only three putts that I made today at 1 and 4, the bet and 13 – all this has It seemed like I was downhill, slowing down every hole, and I felt very defensive and cautious all day long. "
Rose, despite a 73rd-place finish that knocked him out of the league, had the last hole to win the FedEx Cup and a $ 10 million bonus. If he had not birded last, Woods would have won his third FedEx title.
Clearly winning the tournament was more important for Woods. And just days after telling reporters that "I do not know what my future holds for me," months after a spinal surgery, he was still unable to play with a golf club.
"It's very moving," said Rob McNamara, Woods's long-time friend who has served his eyes and ears over the past year while the golfer has played without a coach. "He made me cry, but I could not be more proud of him, a true champion in every sense of the word."
Woods is expected to be ranked 13th in the world after falling to 1,199e last year. It was his 18th start of 2018 and he finished among the top 10. Woods is now lagging behind Sam Snead, leader of the PGA Tour victory.
"I'm extremely proud of him," Jack Nicklaus said in a series of tweets to congratulate Woods.
I have never dreamed @Tiger Woods could come back and swing like he has after the surgery. I think you could argue, he swing better than ever in his life. He played fantastically!
– Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 23, 2018
Woods played very well to give himself a three-hole lead at 54 holes, a lead he has never failed to convert to 24 tries. He shot 65-68-65 to reach 12 under par, giving him his first three-run advantage since winning the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – his last win.
It turned out to be beneficial the day East Lake was particularly difficult. Only 13 players broke and Woods' closest players – McIlroy and Rose – were able to handle scores of 74 and 73, respectively.
"It was a blow," Woods said. "I loved everything." The fight and the difficult situation and the tough conditions and you just had to suck and hit him and I liked every piece.
McIlroy shot 39 points on the top nine to get out of the race and finished with a 74 and a tie for seventh place. Rose also struggled, falling four times at the turn and fourth. Woods was then asked to go to the East Lake club house, the home of the great amateur Bobby Jones whose photos and souvenirs adorn the surroundings.
Horschel, who won the 2014 FedEx Cup, made a late push with a 66, but when it was 9 under par, Woods only had three holes to play.
Woods, 42, has barely played golf in the last two years. He has played only three tournaments around the world to try to relieve back and nerves pain that led to four operations. On his return to the Farmers Insurance Open in January, he was ranked 656th in the world, had not won any points in the Ryder Cup and seemed far from rivaling the best of the game.
Tiger Woods won his first tournament in more than five years. And the world of sport celebrated … just a little bit.
Sunday at the Tour Championship, five years after his last victory and after several operations and scandals, Tiger Woods has once again appealed to his greatness.
Tiger Woods just won his first tournament in five years, which made us think what other sports returns can compare?
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But Woods has slowly been gaining fitness, placing himself in the Top 10 at the Tour Championship six times, including the Open and the PGA Championship.
"He's played such a good golf all year round that it's not surprising," said Phil Mickelson while Woods was at the back. "It was only a matter of time before he won.He played so well on a very challenging golf course.We were all expecting.I saw how he swayed the club and the way he was playing.We all knew that it was only a matter of time.
Woods has repeatedly said that he was touched by the support he had enjoyed throughout the year from fans, many of whom had never seen him or had not seen him play. a high level.
And he admitted that Sunday 's conclusion was unique because he swarmed trying to get the bunker that faced the green, from which he was able to explode and complete the tournament.
"I appreciate it a bit more than me because I do not take it for granted that I'm going to have another decade, two decades in my future to play golf at this level," said Woods. much more in my opinion because I did not know if I would come back to play here again. "
Then, putting the length of his career into perspective – Woods won his first PGA Tour title in 1996 – he was asked how he thought the world would react, given that he probably broke the internet.
"Well, when I went out here, there was no internet," Woods said with a smile.
Woods is now the favorite to win the Masters next year. On his way to the Tour Championship, he was 12-1 behind the Masters favorite then. Jordan Spieth. But by the end of the tournament, Woods' odds had been reduced to 9-1, ahead of Spieth's at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
Woods is also a -220 favorite against Mickelson in their November play match in Las Vegas.
David Purdum of ESPN contributed to this article.
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