It's Woods, Cink in Match Play final
Tiger Woods faced another pivotal putt on the 17th hole, this one from only 12 feet, the stakes much higher Saturday afternoon than his signature 35-foot eagle putt he made three days earlier in the Accenture Match Play Championship at Marana, Ariz.
Typical of his year, success was inevitable. Woods with a putt to win is becoming like Michael Jordan taking the game-winning shot.
"It's fun to have opportunity, whether you succeed or fail," he said. "Luckily over my career, I've succeeded more than I've failed."
Call this another success, and another trip to the finals.
Woods' birdie on the 17th carried him to a 2-up victory Saturday over defending champion Henrik Stenson, putting him in today's 36-hole final match against Stewart Cink, whose flawless front nine gave him a 4-and-2 victory over Justin Leonard.
"Every match is its own little battle," said Woods, who won for the 22nd time in his last 25 matches at this fickle event. "One of the things I learned from my dad is in match play, you have 18 battles. You've just got to win more than they do."
This was a fight that went the distance, typical of Stenson, who played at least 18 holes in all five of his rounds. The big-hitting Swede never led, but he was never far away, and when he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th, it was all square with two holes to play.
Woods never blinked.
His 5-wood from the fairway was pulled and landed near the edge of the bunker, leaving him an uphill, sidehill lie that he was thrilled to get within 12 feet of the cup. Stenson found the rough, laid up and hit a poor wedge that took birdie out of the picture.
In a tight quarterfinal match against K.J Choi earlier Saturday, Woods seized momentum by chipping in for eagle en roune to his 3-and-2 victory. Now, he's 36 holes away from owning the world of golf, this in a literal sense.
Woods already has won 14 times in 25 starts at the World Golf Championships, but a win today would be the first time he has held all three titles concurrently. He won the CA Championship and Bridgestone Invitational last year.
Cink has 33 sub-par holes in the 80 he has played over five rounds, and only once has he been extended to 18 holes. He was particularly brilliant against Leonard, shooting a 29 on the front nine for a 4-up lead.
This will be the fourth time Woods has reached the final match, losing to Darren Clarke in 2000, winning in 2003 and 2004. Cink had never made it past the quarterfinals until Saturday.
"It feels great just to get this far," Cink said. "To be in the final, it's going to be a blast."
LPGA Fields Open: Creamer rallied to win the Fields Open for her fifth LPGA Tour title, birdieing four of the final five holes for a 1-stroke victory over South Korea's Jeong Jang at Kapolei, Hawaii.
Playing her trademark pink ball in the final round, the 21-year-old Creamer closed with a bogey-free 6-under 66 for a 16-under 200 total.
Michelle Wie shot a 6-over 78 to finish 20 strokes behind Creamer. At 4-over 220, Wie tied for last among the 74 players who made the cut.
Mayakoba Golf Classic: Brian Gay moved into position for his first PGA Tour victory, shooting an 8-under 62 to take a 5-stroke lead over Steve Marino in the PGA Tour's Mayakoba Golf Classic at Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Gay birdied the last three holes and five of the final six to reach 15-under 195. Marino was 10 under after a 64. Matt Kuchar (64) and John Merrick (69) were 9 under, and Mexican star Esteban Toledo (63) was another stroke back.