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Stunning sixth Woods overcomes seven-shot deficit to win AT&T
Posted: Tuesday February 08, 2000 08:57 AM
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- With an astonishing comeback to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Tiger Woods on Monday moved a step closer to Byron Nelson's "untouchable" record of 11 straight victories. Seven strokes behind with seven holes to play, Woods electrified an otherwise gray afternoon on the Monterey Peninsula by holing a 97-yard wedge for eagle on the 15th and making birdies on two of the last three holes for his sixth straight PGA Tour victory. Woods became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1948 to win six straight tour events and took an unbelievable leap closer to Nelson's record, which was set in 1945.
It was a command performance, filled with spectacular shots that have defined Woods' young but spectacular career. It ended with Woods watching from the 18th green as Matt Gogel missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff. Woods closed with an 8-under 64, the lowest final round by a champion in the 53-year history of Pebble Beach. He finished at 15-under 273 and earned $720,000. "I figured if I birdied the last four holes, I might have a chance," Woods said. Gogel, the 28-year-old tour rookie, made birdie on five of the first seven holes to seemingly turn the final round into a rout. Instead, he turned in a shocking collapse -- a 40 on the back nine -- that will only be forgotten because of a miraculous comeback by a player who never ceases to amaze. So shaken by his failed birdie putt, Gogel missed a 3-footer for par on the 18th and wound up in a tie for second at 13-under 275 with Vijay Singh. Gogel closed with a 71, while Singh had a 70. "I said it yesterday, he's going to be there at the end," said Notah Begay, an ex-teammate at Stanford who finished three behind. "It adds to the whole mystique of Tiger." It was the 17th career PGA Tour victory for the 24-year-old Woods. Among active players not on the Senior Tour, only Ben Crenshaw (19) and Greg Norman (18) have won more. What Woods has proved during his PGA Tour winning streak -- even as far back as his three straight U.S. Amateur titles -- is that he can never be counted out until he's no longer on the golf course. Woods was five strokes behind to start the final round, which was pushed back to Monday because of high winds and rain earlier in the tournament. Despite the relatively serene conditions, he managed only three birdies through the first 11 holes and was running out of time. Not only was he seven strokes behind, five other players were in front of him. Woods needed some help, and Gogel obliged. Five under after his first seven holes, Gogel came unglued after his first bogey of the day -- on No. 11 -- and handled the spotlight like a deer on the highway. But this day will be remembered more for the spectacular play by Woods. The guy who folded his arms and stared blankly across the ocean for most of his round suddenly unleashed one of those famous fist pumps when his wedge on the 15th landed four feet to the right of the hole with just enough spin to slide across the grain and into the cup. One hole later, he missed another eagle when his wedge landed an inch in front of the cup on its second bounce, setting up a 2-foot birdie. He missed the green to the right on the par-3 17th, not far from where Tom Watson chipped in to win the U.S. Open in 1982. He nearly matched Watson's heroic shot, the ball turning away at the last turn. Woods came up short on the par-5 18th, hit a nice flop shot to 3 feet, and then had to wait about 30 minutes to see if Gogel could catch him. He only had two decent birdie chances, and none of those came very close. Next up for Woods is the Buick Invitational this week in San Diego, where he is the defending champion. Should he continue to win, he would surpass Nelson at the tournament where the Woods legend took root -- the Masters. For Gogel, it was another lesson to be learned from playing in the final group on the final day. He was there two weeks ago in the Bob Hope Classic, came out conservatively, and was quickly passed. This time, he started with three straight birdies, and moved to 5-under for the round with a 25-foot birdie from just off the green at No. 7. The 10th hole is the last one that runs south down the Pacific coast, ending a terrorizing six-hole stretch where the tournament is more often lost than won. When Gogel walked off No. 10 with a par, he had a five-stroke lead over Singh, and Woods was nowhere to be found. That changed as quickly as clouds replaced sunshine at the start of the round. Gogel missed a 5-foot par putt on the 11th, then failed to get up and down out of the bunker on the par-3 11th as the pressure of trying to close out his first PGA Tour on one of the most storied courses in the world began to take its toll. If that wasn't enough, the roars that resounded from a half-mile away were enough to shake anybody. Woods hit a 5-iron on the par-3 12th that stopped 8 feet from the cup for birdie, but he missed a chance for another one when his 6-foot birdie putt on the 14th slid by. Then the fun really began. Only Woods can produce such dramatics these days. The wedge he holed for eagle, and the next one that bounced in front of the cup at No. 16, were reminiscent of the kind of shots only seen during the Ryder Cup -- only they came from one player. Woods clenched his fist after his final birdie, as if he knew that would be enough. He came into the press room to watch Gogel play the final two holes, then headed out to the 18th green to pick up another trophy.
DIVOTS: The tournament was sponsored by AT&T. ... Ken Griffey Jr. had quite a week, even though he didn't come close to winning the Pro-Am. He spent the first four days playing with Woods, and the final round with Jack Nicklaus. ... The last player to lead after the third round at Pebble Beach and hold his lead over the final 18 holes was Brett Ogle in 1993. Then again, there have been only four 72-hole events since then. ... Even though he missed the cut, Nicklaus played the final round because his Pro-Am team qualified as the top 25. He was paired with his son, Steve. ... Woods was paired with Jim Furyk, putting him in the same group with ex-caddie, Fluff Cowan.
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