Photo by Peter DixonEven Tiger Woods can't believe he is as good as he is, it seems. The Press Association quotes Woods as saying,"[i]t is about playing well at the right times and getting lucky and having everything going your way."
Tigers calls a win an element of luck, when in fact, Woods is just simply the best, better than all the rest. Woods got skills!!!!!
Mark Soltau of Tiger Woods webpage writes:
"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Tiger Woods knew he had to do something special on the back nine Sunday to win the Dubai Desert Classic. And that's just what the top-ranked Woods did, blazing a 6-under-par 31 capped by birdies at 17 and 18 to register a stirring one-stroke victory over Martin Kaymer of Germany.
Woods, who began the final round tied for fifth, four strokes behind Ernie Els, received a little help at the end. Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Els knocked his second shot in the water at the par-5 18th hole and settled for third place.
'It was a pretty neat finish,'said Woods, who closed with a 7-under-par 65 at Emirates Golf Club and finished at 14-under 274. 'I thought I had to shoot 30 on the back nine to win it.'
It marked the fifth-consecutive stroke play win and seven triumph in the last eight starts for Woods, who previously won this event in 2006, and is only the second player (Els) to win it more than once. Woods earned $416,660 for the victory.
He is also 2-0 in 2008, capturing last week's Buick Invitational by eight strokes. It's the third time in his career he has begun the season with two-straight victories.
'It's an ideal start,' Woods said. 'I just go out there and play to win.'
Wood has now won 72 tournaments world-wide, including 62 on the PGA Tour.
His chances didn't look good Sunday after a three-putt bogey at the ninth hole. But Woods regrouped with a birdie at 10, chipped in for birdie at 12, made a short birdie at 13, then drained a 15-foot putt for another at 14.
After parring 15 and 16, Woods ripped a driver just left of the green at the short par-4 17th, then nestled a sand wedge nine feet behind the hole. He made the birdie putt to climb into the lead at 13-under.
With Els playing several groups behind, Woods figured he needed at least one more birdie to hold him off. After a nice tee shot, Woods went for the green with a 5-wood and got a touch unlucky when the ball rolled through the green and hung up just above a back bunker.
'I just absolutely flushed it,' he said of his second shot, a high fade that wouldn't hold the firm green. "'I thought it was going to be perfect but it flew even further than I thought.'
Faced with an awkward stance that forced him to place one foot in the bunker and choke down on his sand wedge, Woods caught the ball a little heavy out of the thick grass and left it 25 feet above the hole.
'I could easily chip the ball it in the water,' said Woods. 'You have to make your mistake short.'
Woods didn't take much time on the birdie putt, a slick, downhill slider from left-to-right. The putt looked good from the start and disappeared into the center of the cup, Woods pumping his right fist. It was the third time in four days he birdied the 18th hole.
Woods also felt sympathy for Els, having hit his second shot into the water at 18 on Saturday.
'I did the same thing,' he said. 'If you up-shoot it in the wind, it kills it.'
Tiger felt sympathy for Els, hell who felt sympathy for Tiger with all the shutter bugs flashes shots messing up his concentration. No excuses, Tiger you won fair and square.
