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May-jor pain Playing partner going toe-to-toe with Woods
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) -- Tiger Woods and Bob May both birdied the 18th hole Sunday to finish a dramatic, final-round duel tied at a record 18 under par and force a three-hole playoff for the PGA Championship. Woods, seeking his third successive major championship triumph, shot a five-under-par 67, while the unheralded May matched him shot for shot under intense pressure in posting a 66 to finish with 270 totals. May and Woods headed for the 16th hole for a three-hole playoff. Should they remain tied after those holes, they would go to the 13th to begin sudden-death. World number one Woods trailed the unheralded May by one stroke after May sank a 35-foot birdie putt at the 11th, but he pulled into a tie after sticking his approach shot to within four feet and made birdie at the 17th. Both players reached the par-5 18th in two, with May on the left side of the three-sided green and Woods on the right. May hit his first putt too firm and ended up on the fringe 15 feet above the hole. Woods put his first putt about five feet above the hole. Facing a treacherous, downhill putt, May trickled a double-breaker that just dived back into the right edge, instantly putting all the pressure back on Woods. Woods, however, coolly answered with a firm stroke that put the ball snugly home. Alone in second place was Thomas Bjorn of Denmark at 13 under par, with Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain and Australians Stuart Appleby and Greg Chalmers another shot back at 12-under.
Defending champion Woods was seeking to match Ben Hogan's 1953 feat of winning three majors in a season, while May was trying to register his first major championship victory.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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