Monday, August 28, 2000
Woods beats darkness, crushes everyone
else
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods only had to beat the darkness
Sunday. It was a close call, unlike anything else in the NEC Invitational.
 Racing the clock because of a storm
delay that suspended the final round for nearly three hours, Woods
took eight holes to get untracked and then cruised to another
landslide victory, this time by 11 strokes.
He probably could have won this one in the dark. In a fitting
conclusion, his wedge into the 18th green emerged from the darkness
and dropped 2 feet from the hole. Fans saw a silhouette of the
best player in the world walk down the fairway, and some flicked
their lighters like they were at a rock concert.
Even in overwhelming victory, Woods can still put on a show.
He completed his romp over a world-class field with a 3-under
67 to finish at 21-under 259. It was his lowest 72-hole score
as a professional, and it broke the Firestone record of 262 set
10 years ago by Jose Maria Olazabal.
A week after an emotionally draining playoff victory in the PGA
Championship for his third straight major, Woods showed no letup
in a game that appears to be without weakness. He now has set
tournament records in his last four victories.
It also was the third time this year Woods has successfully defended
a title, and he now has won three of the five World Golf Championship
events. He earned $1 million, giving him more money in the last
two years than everyone but Davis Love III on the career money
list.
Phillip Price of Wales, playing his first tournament in the United
States, got as close to Woods as anyone Sunday — five strokes.
But he bogeyed three of the last four holes and finished with
a 69 to slip into a tie for second with Justin Leonard, who had
a 66. Both earned $437,500 from the $5 million purse.
Next up for Woods: A clinic at Firestone in the morning, followed
by a trip to the California desert for his made-for-TV match-play
event against Sergio Garcia, an exhibition that pays $1.1 million
to the winner.
Woods got in some practice Sunday — he put on a clinic, and
made another tournament look like a mere exhibition.
Woods, who opened with rounds of 63 and 61, won for the fifth
time in his last seven tournaments, and for the eighth time this
year on the PGA Tour. The last player to win at least eight times
in consecutive seasons was Byron Nelson, who won eight times in
1944 and a record 18 times in 1945.
 Perhaps that's next on the horizon
for Woods.
His 67 on soggy Firestone was his 35th consecutive round at par
or better worldwide, dating to the first round of the Byron Nelson
Classic in May.
Leonard, who hasn't won in over two years, was runner-up for the
third time this year. One of those was at the Memorial, where
he and Ernie Els finished five behind Woods.
Phil Mickelson and Hal Sutton each had a 70, while Jim Furyk had
a 68 to tie for fourth, 12 strokes behind.
While Woods was never seriously challenged, neither did he make
a serious bid for the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring record of 257,
set by Mike Souchak in the 1955 Texas Open.
And just because it was another romp, Firestone wasn't devoid
of excitement.
Stewart Cink got a hole-in-one on No. 12, a 4-iron from 213 years,
and Retief Goosen had an ace on No. 7 with a 3-iron from 230 yards.
The best shot of the day came from Els, whose 5-iron from 186
yards on the par-5 2nd caught a slope behind the flag and rolled
back into the cup for a double eagle.
Otherwise, the NEC Invitational turned into a battle for second.
Sutton stared down Woods in a final-round duel at The Players
Championship to win by a stroke, although there was a big difference
Sunday — he started the day trailing by nine strokes, not
ahead by one.
Still, Sutton made an aggressive start with birdies on three of
his first five holes and two nifty par saves. Woods played conservatively,
aiming at the middle of the greens and making all pars. He bogeyed
the par-3 7th by chipping 10 feet by and missing the par putt,
and suddenly his lead was down to five.
That's as close as it got.
Sutton bladed it out of wet sand on No. 8 and made the first of
three straight bogeys. Woods finally went at a pin, made a 12-foot
birdie and coasted from there.
Price left Firestone feeling just as satisfied as if he had won.
The only reason the Welshman got into the World Golf Championship
event is because the European tour changed its qualification from
Ryder Cup members to the top 12 Europeans on its money list.
Price was ninth, and made his first tournament in America a memorable
one. He earned $437,500, nearly as much as he had made all year
in Europe.
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