Jaye Marie Green wins LPGA Tour Q-school

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jaye Marie Green completed a runaway victory in the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament Sunday, finishing with a record 29-under 331 total for a 10-stroke margin.

The 19-year-old Green, from Boca Raton, closed with a 4-under 68 on LPGA International's Jones Course. She broke the event 90-hole mark of 18-under 342 set by Stacy Lewis in 2008.

''This is going to be a week that I'll always remember,'' Green said. ''I was the most nervous on that last green when I didn't have to be, but I really was. But when that putt fell I was just speechless and I think I was just seeing stars really. It was a cool feeling. I just felt really relieved.''

The top 20 earned Category 12 status, the next 26 players received membership in Category 17, and the other 22 players who made the 72-hole cut got Symetra Tour status.

South Korea's Mi Rim Lee was second after a 69. Tiffany Joh finished third at 15 under after a 71.

Amy Anderson, the 21-year-old former North Dakota State star who won a record 20 college titles, was fourth at 14 under after a 69.

''This is not what I expected at all,'' Anderson said. ''The week or so leading up I was actually struggling with my game quite a bit. So I was thinking I would sneak in by the skin of my teeth. To come out here and just play well all week was really exciting and took the stress out of it.''

Green bogeyed the par-3 third hole, ending a 59-hole run without a bogey. She rebounded with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to make the turn at 1 under. She birdied Nos. 10 and 11, dropped a stroke on the par-3 14th and closed with birdies on the final two holes.

''It's been a dream come true really,'' Green said. ''Since I was a little girl it's what I've always wanted to do. Having my dad beside me, couldn't have been a better feeling really. Having all my family here is just awesome. I'm so overwhelmed right now, I don't how to react.''

Green, who lost to Lydia Ko in the final of the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur, played on the Symetra Tour this year. She had three top-10 finishes and finished the season 29th on the money list.

''It really is the stepping stone to getting into the LPGA Tour,'' Green said. ''Just the things that I've learned, like the key elements that you need to be out there was a huge help. For that to happen so fast, like me being here today after my first season, I wasn't expecting it to come that fast.''

Read More

World Rankings

The World Rankings

1	(1) Tiger Woods (U.S.)	12.34
2	(2) Adam Scott (Australia)	10.00
3	(3) Henrik Stenson (Sweden)	9.01
4	(5) Justin Rose (Britain)	7.53
5	(4) Phil Mickelson (U.S.)	7.44
6	(6) Rory McIlroy (Britain)	6.82
7	(7) Matt Kuchar (U.S.)	6.47
8	(8) Steve Stricker (U.S.)	6.04
9	(16) Zach Johnson (U.S.)	5.71
10	(9) Brandt Snedeker (U.S.)	5.52
11	(10) Jason Day (Australia)	5.50
12	(12) Graeme McDowell (Britain)	5.28
13	(11) Jason Dufner (U.S.)	5.28
14	(13) Ian Poulter (Britain)	5.26
15	(14) Dustin Johnson (U.S.)	5.02
16	(15) Luke Donald (Britain)	4.87
17	(18) Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)	4.82
18	(17) Jim Furyk (U.S.)	4.81
19	(20) Sergio Garcia (Spain)	4.68
20	(19) Keegan Bradley (U.S.)	4.54
21	(21) Webb Simpson (U.S.)	4.52
22	(22) Jordan Spieth (U.S.)	4.29
23	(23) Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)	4.01
24	(24) Lee Westwood (Britain)	3.94
25	(34) Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)	3.81
26	(26) Bubba Watson (U.S.)	3.76
27	(25) Ernie Els (South Africa)	3.75
28	(29) Jamie Donaldson (Britain)	3.72
29	(28) Bill Haas (U.S.)	3.55
30	(27) Nick Watney (U.S.)	3.45

Read More

Dane Bjorn wins Nedbank Golf Challenge

SUN CITY, South Africa, - Denmark's Thomas Bjorn pulled away from his challengers to win the $1.25-million first prize at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday with a 20-under-par total of 268.

Bjorn sunk eagles at the 10th and 14th holes to set up a two stroke victory and shrug off a spirited challenge from Spaniard Sergio Garcia and overnight leader Jamie Donaldson of Wales.

Donaldson and Garcia were joint second with 18-under-par totals of 270.

Both Bjorn and Garcia went seven under for the day in storming fourth round displays at the Gary Player Country Club.

Read More

The Shots of the Week from the World Challenge were as impressive as the finish

On Sunday at Sherwood Country Club, golf fans who have been hibernating from the game the last six weeks were entertained by some incredible golf by some of the biggest names in the world.

Tiger Woods, the host of the event, looked like he would cruise to another victory, but it was Zach Johnson who caught him thanks to a hole-out on the 72nd hole and then a short miss by Tiger in the playoff.

The wedge from Johnson was obviously the shot of the week, but it wasn't the only hole-out that took place at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

Watch Matt Kuchar nearly make a double eagle, Bubba Watson use that impressive short game that won him the Masters, and Tiger nearly answer Johnson's pitch on the final hole with his own from a short-sided bunker.

Read More

Tiger Woods Faced Another Potential On-Course Infraction at Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, but Viewers Didn’t See It

COMMENTARY | Tiger Woods is the most widely followed, scrutinized and videotaped golfer in the sport.

So it was a bit odd to only hear about Woods' possible one-stroke penalty during NBC's live coverage of the third round of the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, a tournament he was leading at the time and eventually went on to lose in a playoff to Zach Johnson.

On Saturday, during a commercial break, Woods' ball apparently moved from its spot on the 13th green while he was looking over a birdie putt. Instead of showing viewers what happened, NBC aired a live shot of Woods joking around with Johnson while on-course announcer Notah Begay III explained the situation.

"I think they're pretty sure the ball did move," Begay said. "Tiger was walking around reading his putt, had already set it down. It was sitting there for quite some time, and, as he stooped in behind it, the ball kind of tipped over, so I think they need to figure out whether he needs to replace it or play it from where it lies."

Studio announcer Roger Maltbie quickly chimed in: "I believe the question is if he's done nothing to cause it to move, if he's put the ball down on the green and the ball is at rest, and then he goes about reading the putt and the ball alters position without him causing it to move, then the ball will be played as it lies under no penalty.

"If the ball in fact moved and he was deemed to have cause it to move, then he would have to replace it under the penalty of a stroke," Maltbie said.

Begay said he was certain that Tiger didn't cause the ball to move, to which Maltbie responded with, "This shouldn't be an issue."

Maltbie's in-booth partner, Terry Gannon, then correctly noted that "you call in a rules official, though, any time there's a question, obviously. These days, certainly if you're Tiger."

Yet, there was no footage shown during and after the official review, and no explanation for the lack of footage.

Windy conditions dominated the tournament on Saturday, so it wasn't surprising to hear that the rules official ultimately determined that the ball moved on its own. Woods was able to finish the hole without incurring a penalty.

He ended up three-putting from about 6 feet and carded a bogey. 

It's plausible that NBC didn't have any quality video clips of the ball moving. This wasn't exactly a major tournament or even an official PGA Tour event. In fact, it's about as close to an exhibition as a real golf tournament can get. With only 18 players in the field, the number of cameras and angles may be limited.

But it's also possible, perhaps more likely, that NBC did have some footage and just chose not to air it, in part because of the controversy surrounding Woods and rules infractions. After all, Woods is the host of the tournament, he was in the lead the time and, well, he's Tiger Freaking Woods, so you'd expect his every move to be recorded.

Woods and his on-course infractions surfaced as one of the major stories of the 2013 golf season after the Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee all but called Woods a cheater in a ridiculously outrageous column for Golf.com. (As a side, NBC owns the Golf Channel).

Fellow golfers Rory McIlroy and Geoff Ogilvy have even chimed in on the Woods-Chamblee fiasco, with Ogilvy offering a surprising take.

Indirectly, viewer call-ins of rules infractions have also become a topic of discussion for the folks running the PGA Tour. It was a viewer, albeit a Champions Tour golfer, who called in Woods' illegal drop during the Masters.

Woods has gone on record to support a PGA Tour review of TV viewers' ability to call in possible rules violations.

"It's a new age in which there is a lot of cameras that are around - well, around my group and then some of the top players," Woods said in September, according to USA Today. "I think the commissioner was right. We're going to have to have more discussions about it in the future. I think that's actually happening right now."

Indeed, there are a lot of cameras around Woods every time he tees it up. But maybe just not on Saturday, on the 13th green, while he was looking over a birdie putt, with the lead in hand.

Read More

European Tour Race to Dubai money list

Leading money winners on the 2013/2014

European Tour Race to Dubai on Tuesday:

1	Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)	795,338	euros
2	Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)	454,492
3	Jamie Donaldson (Wales)	414,478
3	Sergio Garcia (Spain)	414,478
5	Morten Orum Madsen (Denmark)	241,662
6	Henrik Stenson (Sweden)	238,602
7	Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe)	221,449
8	Richard Finch (England)	192,972
9	Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain)	159,063
10	Justin Rose (England)	131,231
11	Jbe Kruger (South Africa)	116,956
12	Hennie Otto (South Africa)	116,610
13	Jaidee Thongchai (Thailand)	106,894
14	Peter Uhlein (USA)	95,441
15	Ross Fisher (England)	91,020
16	Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spain)	87,806
17	Darren Fichardt (South Africa)	87,155
18	Simon Dyson (England)	83,980
19	Stuart Manley (Wales)	82,894
19	Prom Meesawat (Thailand)	82,894

Read More

PGA Tour rookie gets stuck in traffic, decides to practice on the side of the freeway

You might remember John Peterson from Olympic Club back in 2012, when the unknown LSU fan with the great golf swing and putter cover in his back pocket nearly won that U.S. Open before Webb Simpson took home the trophy.

Peterson finished T-4 that week, and after a solid season this past year on the Web.com Tour, it's on to the PGA Tour for the 24-year-old Texan.

And apparently, Peterson really, really loves the game. So much that when he was stuck in a traffic jam on I-20 in Texas, he got out of his car, grabbed a couple of clubs and went to work on his golf game.

Peterson videotaped the whole experience which you can watch below, but I would say this probably isn't the best idea to past the time when you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic unless you're really accurate with your irons. I don't think "FORE!" works when people are sitting in their cars with the windows rolled up and the music on.

Read More

Lydia Ko wins first title as professional

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Lydia Ko rallied to win her first title as a professional.

The 16-year-old from New Zealand won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters on Sunday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a three-stroke victory over South Korea's So Yeon Ryu.

Ko had an 11-under 205 total at Linkou Miramar and earned $150,000 in the event sanctioned by the Taiwan and Korean tours. Ryu finished with a 73. Top-ranked Inbee Park was third at 7 under after a 70.

Ko tied for 21st last month in the LPGA Titleholders in her only other start as a professional. She won four pro events as an amateur, taking the Canadian Women's Open the last two years.

Read More

Northwestern Mutual World Challenge final round scores

Final round scores from the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge at the par-72 Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks

California on Sunday (U.S. unless stated):

275	Zach Johnson	67 68 72 68
	Tiger Woods	71 62 72 70
	(Johnson won playoff at first extra hole)
279	Bubba Watson	70 70 69 70
	Matt Kuchar	68 68 76 67
281	Webb Simpson	73 71 69 68
283	Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland)	72 67 75 69
285	Ian Poulter (England)	76 67 73 69
286	Jim Furyk	72 69 74 71
287	Bill Haas	73 68 74 72
	Jason Day (Australia)	76 68 70 73
288	Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)	73 77 68 70
291	Hunter Mahan	70 80 72 69
292	Keegan Bradley	75 68 75 74
	Jason Dufner	74 71 78 69
295	Steve Stricker	75 74 74 72
297	Lee Westwood (England)	74 75 74 74
	Jordan Spieth	77 72 77 71
299	Dustin Johnson	74 79 72 74

Read More

Jimenez wins 4th Hong Kong Open title in playoff

HONG KONG -- Miguel Angel Jimenez successfully defended his Hong Kong Open title Sunday to extend his record as the oldest winner in European Tour history.

The Spaniard won at 49 years, 337 days to break the record he set last year at Hong Kong Golf Club, holing an 18-foot birdie on the first hole of a playoff with Thailand's Prom Meesawat and Wales' Stuart Manley.

''I turn 50 next month, but I'm still fit,'' Jimenez said. ''I stretch every morning. You have to do this to keep up with the younger lot.''

Jimenez won the event for the fourth time to match the tournament victory record set by Taiwan's Hsieh Yong Yo, the winner in 1963, '64, '75 and '78.

''It just gets better and better. I love Hong Kong and this course,'' said Jimenez, also the winner in 2004 and 2007. ''This is my fourth and it was my hardest. When you need to play a playoff, you need to play one more hole, and against two guys also trying to win is hard. But my experience paid off.''

Jimenez has 20 European Tour victories, a tour-record 13 since turning 40.

Jimenez closed with a 4-under 66 to match Meesawat at 12-under 268. Manley holed a birdie chip on the final hole of regulation for a 68, and Meesawat had two eagles in a 65.

''I was very pleased with my round,'' Meesawat said. ''But I had a few chances to collect a couple more birdies. Unfortunately, they fell short and in the playoff I had a bad approach shot.''

In the playoff, Jimenez hit his approach on the green at the par-4, 410-yard 18th. Manley sliced his shot onto a corporate box roof, and Meesawat's approach fell just short of the green.

After Manley and Meesawat failed to hole their third shots, Jimenez rolled in his birdie putt.

''I just love this course,'' Jimenez said. ''It is an old-fashioned course where accuracy off the tee counts. You have to control the ball here.''

Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands was fourth at 11 under after a 65.

Read More

Ultra competitive Johnson outduels Tiger at Sherwood

THOUSAND OAKS, California - Zach Johnson prides himself on his competitive spirit and he came up with the goods in triumphant style after going head-to-head with Tiger Woods at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge on Sunday.

Two shots behind the pacesetting Woods at the start of the day, Johnson fell four behind with just eight holes left before making four birdies, along with a spectacular wedge hole-out for par at the last, to take the tournament into a playoff.

Having twice finished second to tournament host Woods in the elite limited-field event at Sherwood Country Club, Johnson reversed that position as he safely parred the first extra hole before Woods surprisingly lipped out from five feet to bogey.

"You want to end the tournament with someone making a putt," Johnson said after Woods' miss handed him his second tournament victory of the year. "You don't want to see it like that, especially when he has hit a really good sand shot."

Woods had dumped his approach into the front right greenside bunker at the par-four 18th before failing to get up and down to extend the playoff.

"He played great," Johnson said of the American world number one, who had previously won the World Challenge five times. "He didn't make as many putts as I did. That's all it really was. Today."

Johnson, whose only major victory came at the 2007 Masters, is a medium-length hitter renowned for his brilliant short game and never-say-die attitude.

"I love the competition, I love being in difficult situations and having to execute and that sort of thing," said the 37-year-old American, a 10-times winner on the PGA Tour.

"I like when you get somewhat in contention, I like getting after it. I've always liked that. Doesn't matter what sport it is.

"I know what my talent is, and I know my limitations and I feel like I know my game. So if it's good enough that week, that day, then great. If it's not, I'll just keep working."

What made Sunday's charge down the stretch even more special for Johnson was that he was duelling with 14-time major champion Woods, the greatest player of his generation.

"Everybody talks about going head to head with him," said Johnson. "That's what I want as a competitor. I want to play against the best. He's the best I've ever played with, and I want to put myself in that position.

"I've been in it, I don't know how many times, twice here and a handful of times on Tour. I like playing with him. He's a friend and he seems to bring out the worst and the best in you, you know.

"If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose. That's kind of the way I approached today. I just like to compete and being in those situations where you get into holes you have to execute, you have to hit a shot. I feel very honoured to be the champion."

Read More

Bjorn rallies with 65 to win at Sun City

SUN CITY, South Africa -- Thomas Bjorn rallied with a 7-under 65 to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday, beating third round-leader Jamie Donaldson and Sergio Garcia by two shots.

Bjorn finished with a 20-under total after dropping a shot on the last hole at Gary Player Country Club, his only bogey of the day. But he had enough of a lead to claim his first Sun City title and a $1.25 million winner's check.

Garcia also shot 65 for a share of second at 18 under, while Donaldson closed with a 70 after entering the day with a three-shot lead.

FedEx Cup and European money list winner Henrik Stenson was fourth after a 67. Brendon de Jonge (66) was fifth and Charl Schwartzel (66) sixth.

Read More

A wild finish, a surprising winner at Sherwood

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.  — Even with a two-shot lead going into the final round of a tournament he had won five times, Tiger Woods expected a fight to finish from Zach Johnson. He never could have imagined how Johnson would steal the show at Sherwood.

Johnson was four shots behind with eight holes to play against the No. 1 player in the world.

He was playing his fourth shot on the par-4 closing hole from 58 yards away in a drop area, figuring his only chance was to get up-and-down for a bogey and hope that Woods couldn't convert a par from a tough spot in the bunker.

What unfolded was hard to believe for the largest crowd ever at Sherwood.

Johnson holed out with a wedge to make par. Woods hit an exquisite bunker shot to match par and force a playoff. And the final edition of the World Challenge at Sherwood ended on the first extra hole when Woods missed a 5-foot par putt.

"I feel very fortunate and somewhat lucky," Johnson said.

He also was very good.

Johnson made two birdies and an 8-foot par putt to get within one shot. He nearly holed out a wedge from 88 yards on the par-5 16th hole to match birdies with Woods, who got up-and-down from left of the green. Johnson covered the flag with a tee shot on the par-3 17th hole that landed 4 feet away for a birdie to tie Woods.

And then came a big moment that for so many years seemed to be the kind of shot belonging to Woods.

"I'm trying to get somewhat around the hole and make a 5," Johnson said. "It wasn't exactly a full wedge shot, but it was one that I could be aggressive with — 58 yards, trying to hit it about 52, 53, and we saw what it did."

The ball took three bounces, the last one just beyond the hole, and it stopped and spun back a few inches into the cup.

"A little too dramatic for me," said Johnson, who closed with a 4-under 68.

In the playoff, Woods blinked first with a smooth 7-iron that tailed off to the right and into the same bunker, this lie even tougher. Johnson hit the green and two-putted for par, and while Woods hit another great shot out of the sand, his par putt to extend the playoff spun out of the left side of the cup.

"Zach, I don't know how the last three iron shots didn't go in the hole," Woods said after his closing 70. "Pretty impressive what he did. He got me."

Johnson and Woods finished at 13-under 275, four shots clear of Matt Kuchar (67) and Bubba Watson (70).

It was only the fourth time in his career that Woods failed to win when he had at least a two-shot lead going into the final round, and the second time at Sherwood. Graeme McDowell made up a four-shot deficit in the 2010 World Challenge and beat Woods in a playoff.

The World Challenge was held at Sherwood for the 14th and final time. It moves next year to Isleworth in Florida. The attendance Sunday was 24,922, a record for any round in 14 years at Sherwood. Traffic outside the tony club in the Santa Monica foothills looked like an LA freeway in what could be the last chance in the near future to see Woods in southern California.

The stage was set for the proper sendoff. It turned out to be redemption for Johnson.

Two years ago, he was poised to win the World Challenge until Woods made birdie on the last two holes for a one-shot victory, the first for Woods in more than two years dating to the crisis in his personal life. That sent him on his way to three wins in 2012, and five more this year that restored Woods to No. 1 in the world.

That made the win for Johnson — his second this year, 11th of his career — that much sweeter, even if the ending was awkward.

"I went head-to-head against the best," Johnson said. "Young guys ... he's their idol. He's their Jack Nicklaus. He's the guy that paved the way. He's the one that keeps pushing the ceiling higher and higher and he's the one that keeps raising the bar. If he stays healthy — hopefully, he does — there's no telling what he can do.

"So yeah, I'll take pride in the fact that I played against the best, and I got one," he said. "I mean, he's gotten a lot more than I have. So hopefully, I'm in that position again and I think I'll learn from today."

Woods hit two splendid bunker shots on the 18th hole — in regulation and the playoff — but was let down by his putter. He was blocking putts for most of Sunday, and made sure he didn't make that mistake on the 5-footer for par to extend the playoff, a putt that broke sharply to the right.

This one caught the left lip and spun out.

It was not the way he wanted to leave Sherwood, where Woods has five wins and now five runner-up finishes. The only consolation was $400,000 for finishing second, bringing to just over $14 million the earnings he has donated to his foundation from the three tournaments (AT&T National, Deutsche Bank, World Challenge) that support his education programs.

Read More

Johnson stuns Woods in golf World Challenge playoff

Thousand Oaks (United States) - Zach Johnson salvaged a stunning par at the 72nd hole then edged world number one Tiger Woods at the first playoff hole to win the $3.5 million World Challenge.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, on Sunday denied the world number one a sixth victory in the unofficial tournament he hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation.

After appearing to drown his chances by hitting his second shot into the water at the final hole of regulation -- what he called his worst shot of the week -- Johnson holed his shot from the drop area 65 yards out to make par and complete a four-under 68.

Woods came up with an impressive par save from a greenside bunker at the 72nd to cap a two-under 70 that left him tied with Johnson on 13-under 275.

But Woods couldn't salvage par from the same bunker in the playoff, his attempt lipping out.

"I hit a hell of a bunker shot and made par," he said of the final hole of regulation. "In extra holes I hit another really good bunker shot... to get it that close was, I thought, pretty good."

Woods said he'd been blocking putts all day, and was determined not to make that mistake.

"I just didn't want to block that one, and I didn't," he said. "I over-released it."

Johnson admitted that after the late dramatics, Woods' miss was an anti-climactic end to a tournament that drew a record crowd of 24,922 on Sunday to Sherwood Country Club in the rolling hills west of Los Angeles.

"It's not the way you want it to end," Johnson said. "I mean, you want to end the tournament with someone making a putt.

"You've got to take the good with the bad and somehow they even out, but you don't want to see it like that, especially when (Woods) hit a really good sand shot.

"You know, he played great," Johnson added of Woods. "He didn't make as many putts as I did. That's all it really was today."

Sherwood was hosting the tournament for the 14th time, but Woods announced last month the event will move to Isleworth in Florida next year.

Even if he couldn't give his Southern California fans the win most of them came to see, Woods thought it was an entertaining finale, with Johnson a deserving winner.

"Excluding that last shot on 18 in regulation, he really hit it well coming in with three good approach shots," Woods said.

"It was pretty exciting, as a player and I'm sure as a spectator. I think everyone was pretty entertained."

Woods started the day with a two-shot lead over Johnson and led by four after Johnson bogeyed the 10th.

Johnson bounced back with birdies at 11 and 12, and when Woods bogeyed 14 the lead was down to one.

After both birdied 16, Johnson birdied 17 to send them to the 18th tee tied for the lead.

Johnson was safely in the fairway as Woods was in the rough off the tee. From a difficult hillside lie the 14-time major champion found a bunker below the elevated green.

Johnson, however, then hit into the water. He could only laugh when his shot from the drop area took a couple of small hops and spun into the cup.

Americans Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar shared third place, four shots back on 279. Kuchar carded a 67 and Watson posted a final-round 70.

Former US Open champion Webb Simpson was alone in fifth place after a 68 for 281 and defending champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland carded a 69 for 283.

Read More

Zach Johnson tops Tiger Woods in dramatic World Challenge playoff

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Zach Johnson put together the storybook finish at Sherwood on Sunday that for the longest time belonged to Tiger Woods. Johnson rallied from four shots behind with eight holes to play, holed out from a drop area for par on the last hole to force a playoff, and beat the No. 1 player in golf at the World Challenge when Woods missed a 5-foot par putt on the first extra hole. ''Pretty impressive what he did,'' Woods said. ''He got me.''

It was an extraordinary sendoff at Sherwood, which hosted the World Challenge for the 14th and final time before it moves to Florida next year. The big surprise was the winner in so many ways. ''I feel very fortunate, and a bit lucky,'' said Johnson, who moved into the top 10 in the world ranking for the first time in his career.

For Woods, it was only the fourth time in his career that he lost a lead of at least two shots going into the final round, the second time at Sherwood. Graeme McDowell overcame a four-shot deficit in 2010 and beat Woods in a playoff.

This was far more dramatic. They were tied after Johnson hit his tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th hole. Playing from the left rough, Woods came up just short and watched his approach tumble down the elevated green and into the bunker. Johnson followed with his worst shot of the week, an 8-iron so weak that it came up well short and into the hazard.

Johnson knew Woods had a difficult bunker shot, and if he figured if he could stick his wedge close from 58 yards away in the drop zone, a bogey might be enough to get into a playoff. The ball bounced three times and then spun back a few inches into the cup for an unlikely par and a 4-under 68. ''A little too dramatic for me,'' Johnson said.

Woods' hit a superb bunker shot to 2 feet and matched his par for a 70. They finished on 13-under 275. Woods was between clubs from the 18th fairway in the playoff and tried a smooth 7-iron that he lost enough to the right that it again found the bunker. He hit an exquisite sand shot, this one sliding 5 feet by the hole, and the par putt spun out of the left side.

Johnson won $1 million and should go to No. 9 in the world. Woods ended what he called a ''damn good year'' – five wins, the most of anyone in the world – with a shocking loss to Johnson. Two years ago, Woods ended the longest drought of his career when he went birdie-birdie at Sherwood to beat Johnson by one shot.

Matt Kuchar (67) and Bubba Watson (70) tied for third at 9-under 279. The attendance Sunday was 24,922, a record for any round in 14 years at Sherwood. Traffic outside the tiny club in the Santa Monica foothills looked like an LA freeway in what could be the last chance in the near future to see Woods in Southern California.

Woods appeared to have his sixth title at Sherwood sewed up when Johnson missed a short par putt on the 10th hole to fall four shots behind with eight holes to play. Woods had said on Saturday that Johnson wasn't the kind of player who went away easily, and he was right.

Johnson picked up birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and then got back in the game on the 14th when Woods three-putted from long range on the 14th, and Johnson saved his par with an 8-foot putt to get within one shot.

The rest of the way looked like the final rounds of a heavyweight fight, even if only one of them looked the part.

Johnson laid up on the par-5 16 and nearly holed a sand wedge from 88 yards, setting up a tap-in birdie. Woods, with a tough chip left of the green, rehearsed the shot over and over and it came out perfectly for a matching birdie. Johnson finally caught him with a tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 17th, leading to the big finish.

Johnson looked almost apologetic when Woods missed his par putt in the playoff, and it was shocking to see. No one from his generation has made more clutch putts than Woods, who spoke about the topic earlier in the week.

But not this time. It was not the way he wanted to leave Sherwood, where Woods has five wins and now five runner-up finishes. The only consolation was $400,000 for finishing second, bringing to just over $14 million the earnings he has donated to his foundation from the three tournaments (AT&T National, Deutsche Bank, World Challenge) that support his education programs.

Read More

Woods finds good and bad in Sherwood farewell

THOUSAND OAKS, California - Tournament host Tiger Woods expressed bitter-sweet feelings after he lost out in a playoff for the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge on Sunday as the elite event ended a run of 14 years in California.

Next December, the World Challenge will shift to Isleworth Country Club outside Orlando in Florida, but Woods will long treasure memories of his five previous victories here and the $25 million raised by the tournament for his foundation.

"It is very sad to obviously leave Sherwood (Country Club) because there are so many great memories for me personally," world number one Woods told reporters after being beaten at the first extra hole by fellow American Zach Johnson.

"This was the last time my dad (Earl) ever got a chance to watch me play live, and this event has always had special meaning for my father and me.

"Without this event, we wouldn't be able to build the learning center which we did down in Orange County, and over 100,000 kids have now gone through our facilities."

Woods, World Challenge champion in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011, had been bidding for his sixth tournament victory of 2013 but was still able to reflect on a highly successful campaign after being denied by Johnson.

"Pretty damn good year," said Woods, who won a season-high five times on the PGA Tour before being voted Player of the Year for a record 11th time.

"Five wins, and you know, on some pretty good venues, so I'm very pleased with the year."

Though Woods failed to add to his career haul of 14 majors, he won five of his first 11 PGA Tour events, clinching the Farmers Insurance Open, the WGC-Cadillac Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

MAJOR LIKING

Woods especially likes the look of the venues for next year's majors.

He has always enjoyed playing at Augusta (Masters), has placed second and third in the last two U.S. Opens staged at Pinehurst and has previously triumphed at both Hoylake (2006 British Open) and Valhalla (2000 PGA Championship).

"I've won at every one, except for Pinehurst, and I'm trending in the right way," Woods said. "I've finished third, second. You get the picture, right?

"So I'm looking forward to the major championship venues next year. They have set up well for me over the years and I look forward to it."

As for his form at Sherwood Country Club this week, Woods was particularly pleased with the success of a new driver he put in his bag while he bemoaned his putting on three of the four days.

"I drove the ball great this week," he said. "I found a nice driver and I'm very pleased at the changes that I found in that. I think changing the shaft really made a big difference there.

"Most of the week though, except for Friday, I was struggling with my putting, blocking putts. Today was a perfect example of that. I blocked a lot of putts and just had a tough time finding my release point.

"The last hole, you know, being left-to-right and I just didn't want to block that one, and I didn't. I over released it."

Woods lipped out with a five-footer to bogey the first extra hole after Johnson had safely two-putted there for par.

"Putting comes and goes," said Woods. "It is what it is. You have your good days and bad days. Friday I made everything. And today was just one of those days where I just didn't make a lot."

Read More

Ageless Jimenez betters own record with Hong Kong title

Ageless Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez bettered his own record as the European Tour's oldest winner on Sunday after prevailing in a three-way playoff to retain the Hong Kong Open title.

Jimenez, who turns 50 next month, rolled in an 18-foot putt to birdie the first extra hole to defend the title he won last year to become the tour's oldest winner.

Tied with burly Thai Prom Meesawat and Welshman Stuart Manley at 12-under after returning a final round 66, Jimenez drained a slick right-to-left putt down the slope to claim his 20th European Tour title.

"I love this place, I love this golf course, I love the tournament," Jimenez said after winning his fourth Hong Kong Open title.

Meesawat looked set for his maiden European Tour title as he eagled the third to grab the lead and went three clear with another at the long 13th.

He bogeyed the next, however, just when Jimenez was launching a late charge.

Overnight leader Manley had four bogeys and as many birdies in his first 10 holes before he joined the playoff with a brilliant chip-in for birdie at the last.

Read More

European Tour Nedbank Golf Challenge scores

Scores from the European Tour Nedbank Golf Challenge at the par-72 course on Sunday in Sun City

268	Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)	67 70 66 65
270	Sergio Garcia (Spain)	66 73 66 65
	Jamie Donaldson (Britain)	67 66 67 70
272	Henrik Stenson (Sweden)	69 67 69 67
273	Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe)	70 68 69 66
275	Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)	68 70 71 66
276	Justin Rose (Britain)	73 67 69 67
	Ryan Moore (U.S.)	71 65 67 73
277	Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand)	69 70 66 72
279	Peter Uihlein (U.S.)	70 69 70 70
280	Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain)	67 72 72 69
282	Francesco Molinari (Italy)	76 70 69 67
	Darren Fichardt (South Africa)	71 68 69 74
283	Richard Sterne (South Africa)	73 73 71 66
	Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)	74 69 67 73
286	Joost Luiten (Netherlands)	74 68 75 69
	Martin Kaymer (Germany)	71 66 74 75
	D.A. Points (U.S.)	71 67 70 78
287	Luke Donald (Britain)	68 71 74 74
288	Victor Dubuisson (France)	73 72 71 72
	Branden Grace (South Africa)	75 71 69 73
290	Gary Woodland (U.S.)	74 73 75 68
	Matteo Manassero (Italy)	72 74 72 72
291	Dawie Van der Walt (South Africa)	77 72 73 69
293	David Lynn (Britain)	73 71 75 74
	Thaworn Wiratchant (Thailand)	71 76 70 76
	Morten Madsen (Denmark)	76 71 68 78
295	Kevin Streelman (U.S.)	75 71 77 72
300	Ernie Els (South Africa)	75 71 77 77
304	Peter Senior (Australia)	80 68 75 81

Read More

The disappearing act of Rory McIlroy

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Rory's McIlroy's year began with a coronation. He was the star attraction at what felt like a rock concert, with music blaring and lasers flashing in a room at Abu Dhabi to celebrate the No. 1 player in golf joining Nike's stable.

It ended Sunday with a bogey on the ninth hole at Sherwood with hardly anyone watching.

An offseason never looked more appealing to him.

''It's been a long season, a long stretch,'' McIlroy said after signing for a 70 to finish 11th in an 18-man field at the World Challenge. ''I'm excited to put the clubs down for a little bit, have a few weeks' rest and get after it at the start of the new year.''

He won't have to worry about getting used to new equipment. He spent the better part of nine months doing that.

Expectations are sure to be lower.

A year ago, McIlroy was the clear No. 1 in golf. He was coming off another record win in a major - an eight-shot victory in the PGA Championship - and threw his game into overdrive with two FedEx Cup playoff wins and money titles on both sides of the Atlantic by closing his season with a win in Dubai.

It looked as if he would stay there for many years.

That lasted three months.

There were equipment issues, a product of changing everything at once instead of slowly working the swoosh into his bag, as Tiger Woods did a decade earlier. He changed management companies, which ordinarily is a seamless transition unless the split is ugly.

McIlroy is scheduled to be in a courtroom in Ireland not long after the Ryder Cup next year. So yes, this is ugly. According to reports in Irish newspapers, he split with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at least twice, maybe three times. Except it wasn't true. The tennis star was at Sherwood all week, an ever-present smile as she followed him along, even going across the parking lot to hit balls (tennis, not golf) at Sherwood's stadium court.

All that became as tough an obstacle as anything on the golf course.

McIlroy, for all his brilliance inside the ropes, is refreshingly honest when it comes to his golf and often self-deprecating. He was talking earlier in the week about playing casual rounds with friends, noting that he had more of those days than in previous years.

''Had more weekends (off),'' he said.

It wasn't that bad, though his golf certainly was by his standards. He failed to make the cut five times, which is high for a player of his caliber. One was at the British Open. Another was at the Honda Classic, where he walked off the course after 26 holes out of frustration, blaming it on his wisdom tooth.

He didn't win a tournament until his 24th start, two weeks ago at the Australian Open. He ends the year at No. 6 in the world, miles away from Woods at the top.

''It's been the first year I've had to put up with scrutiny and criticism,'' McIlroy said. ''You just have to believe in what you're doing and not let it get to you too much. I let it get to me a few times.''

The toothache was one example of that. McIlroy conceded a week later at Doral that all the hype translated into more pressure he put on himself to perform, and he snapped. An honest answer. He said he would never do it again. So far, so good.

More than the golf was the inspection outside the ropes.

''All the other stuff,'' he said. ''I don't care what people say about my golf. It's when people start digging into my personal life, that's where it starts to annoy you. Whether it's Caroline, the management, all that should that should be no consequence to how I play my golf.''

That's a part of celebrity he still hasn't mastered.

When you're 24 and already have two majors (setting records in each), when you're dating a former No. 1 tennis player, when you're looked upon as the next great player in golf, there will be prying. He has to learn how to protect what he wants to keep private and ignore the rest.

As for the golf, McIlroy can only hope this year was an aberration.

Woods went through his first ''slump'' - everything is relative when it comes to Woods - at age 22 in his second full year as a pro. He won only two tournaments. He lost to Nick Price in a playoff at Sun City. He lost to Mark O'Meara in a 36-hole final at the World Match Play Championship. About the only off-course issue he faced was the GQ article that quoted him telling racial jokes.

''As far as battling a slump, that's just part of playing golf,'' Woods said. ''You play golf long enough, you're going to go through it.''

The great ones emerge. And the great ones don't stay in slumps for long.

McIlroy headed to his Florida home to start his vacation. He'll eventually wind up in Melbourne to watch Wozniacki in the Australian Open, and then go to Dubai to start preparing for a new season that will begin in Abu Dhabi.

Even at age 24, this is shaping up as important season.

Read More