ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- All year long, Tiger Woods has said that<br>even the best player in the world needs a few good bounces to win.<br> He finally got them Sunday in the Bay Hill Invitational and,<br>along
Monday, March 19th 2001, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- All year long, Tiger Woods has said that even the best player in the world needs a few good bounces to win. He finally got them Sunday in the Bay Hill Invitational and, along with some of his old magic, put to rest all this babble about his so-called slump. In a dramatic duel with Phil Mickelson, Woods was spared another disaster when his tee shot hit a spectator in the neck and stayed in bounds on the 18th hole. Then, he hit a 5-iron off a dead patch of trampled grass into 15 feet for birdie and a one-stroke victory. If this was Dubai, the ball would have gone in the water. If this was San Diego, the putt would have stayed out of the hole. Instead, it was a joyful journey down memory lane for Woods, a winner for the first time this year and on a roll as he makes his way north to the Masters in three weeks. "It's always nice to win," said Woods, who made three birdies on the final five holes to close with a 3-under 69 on a cool, cloudy day at Bay Hill. "Today was very satisfying, the fact that it wasn't a pretty round of golf, but I got the ball in the hole." Woods, who finished at 273, became only the second player to repeat as champion at Arnold Palmer's tournament. More importantly, he won for the first time in seven starts this year, the longest he has ever gone at the start of a season without winning. Woods won for the 25th time on the PGA Tour in just 96 starts. Better yet, he probably won't hear any more questions about a slump for a while. "I guess if I don't win next week, I don't know if it's a slump or not," he said. Still, the questions were annoying. Woods won nine times last year on the PGA Tour and won the last three majors with a combined score of 49-under par. Anything short of victory every week was unexpected. In six previous tournaments, he was in the top 10 four times and twice had a chance to win going into the last hole. He made double bogey with a ball in the water at Dubai two weeks ago, and missed an eagle putt that would have momentarily tied for the lead in San Diego a month ago. "If they believe that's a slump, then they really don't understand," he said. They might have a hard time believing this one. Woods has said he was playing well and couldn't win. On Sunday, he hit the ball all over the course and walked off holding a trophy. Go figure. "That's the beauty of our game," he said. "It's very fickle. There are days when you go out there and you play great. Other days, you play great and score like a dog. Some days, you go out there and do what I did -- don't really know where the ball is going but you somehow get the ball in the hole quicker." Indeed, Sunday was hardly a day for style points. Woods only hit one fairway with his driver, and his goal toward the end of his round was to simply keep it between the out-of-bounds stakes on both sides of the fairway. Six times he had to rely on his stellar short game to save par. But while winning requires a little luck, Woods provided extraordinary skill. "I felt like I did what I needed to do to ultimately win," said Mickelson, who closed with a 6-under 66, the best score of the round. "And Tiger did the same." It was the best show on the PGA Tour this year, two of the best players in golf going toe-to-toe even though they were playing two holes apart. Mickelson, who started the final round four strokes behind, caught Woods with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and surged ahead with a 10-foot birdie on No. 15 that put him at 13 under. As Mickelson was lining up his eagle putt up the ridge on the par-5 16th, he could hear a roar from 1,000 yards away -- Woods had just made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 14th to move back into a tie. Mickelson two-putted for birdie, then made a sensational par save on the 18th with a lob wedge from 82 yards that nearly went in. Woods still had problems. He hit his drive so far left down the 16th fairway that he was about 4 feet from going out of bounds, and a truck used as a platform for a TV camera had to be lowered off the jack and driven out of his way. Risking the tournament on one shot, Woods hit a 7-iron from 195 yards, high and long, over the pond and hopping up to the back shelf for a two-putt birdie and another tie for the lead. Then came the wild finish. Woods had little choice but to hit a driver on the 441-yard 18th hole, playing into a stiff breeze. He hooked it left -- "a Nolan Ryan curveball," he called it -- and hit a spectator in the neck, dropping next to a cart path. A woman picked it up and replaced it, perhaps noticing either the Nike swoosh or the name "Tiger" stamped on the ball. Maybe both. Woods got a free drop anyway, because his feet were on the cart path. Luck out of the way, the rest was sheer talent. He rifled his 5-iron from 195 yards, fading gently over the water and toward the back of the green, 15 feet away. While Woods talked about his victory as no big deal, the emotion he showed when the putt went in spoke for him. He let out a roar, punched the air repeatedly with his fist and hugged caddie Steve Williams. Mickelson was waiting behind the 18th green, and wasn't surprised the putt fell.
Get The Daily Update!
Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!