Tiger Woods Wins 7th Career WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Golfer Tiger Woods is in great form, heading into the last major of the year, the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, next week. Tiger is coming off back-to-back PGA Tour victories, after winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by four strokes on Sunday, for his seventh career win at the event. Last week, Woods won the Buick Open by three strokes over the rest of the field. But the field at the Bridgestone event was much better and tougher, and was one of the best wins for Tiger, this year. Almost every player who will play at the PGA Championship, played at the Bridgestone.

Tiger got off to a slow start, like he has done in his two most recent tournaments, going only two-under-par after his first two rounds. He shot a two-under-68 on the first day and an even-par-70 on the second. After two rounds, Woods was five shots off the leaders and in the middle of the pack. But Woods came back in the third round, like he has done so many times in the past, putting up a five-under-65 in round three, to climb up the leaderboard, all the way to second place. Woods finished round three with six birdies and a single bogey, to put himself in contention with one round remaning.

Woods was three strokes back of Padraig Harrington, a 3-time Major Champion himself, going into the final round. This final round pairing of Woods and Harrington will also be the first and second round pairing at Hazeltine. Tiger erased the three-shot deficit quickly, in only four holes. Woods eagled the second hole, and birdied the fourth hole, as Harrington pared the first four. Woods took the lead for the first time at the fifth hole with another birdie. He extended his lead to two, after another birdie at the ninth hole. Harrington had all pars through ten holes. Padraig cut the deficit in half, with a birdie on the 11th hole. Tiger bogeyed the 13th and 14th hole, to give the lead back to Harrington, who pared both of those holes.

The tournament was decided on the 16th hole. Woods was initially in trouble at the par-5 16th hole, when his second shot traveled in the rough, near the trees. Tiger showed some of his magic, getting the ball near a foot from the hole, for an easy tap-in birdie. Harrington, on the other hand, suffered a major meltdown. Harrington's third shot landed behind the green. Harrington, who was rushing his shots, swung his fourth shot in to the water. Padraig finished the hole with a triple bogey. Woods entered the sixteenth down one stroke, and finished it, up three strokes. Woods birdied the 18th hole, to cement the victory. Woods finished the fourth round with another five-under-65 and the tournament at 12-under-par, and brings plenty of momentum into next weeks major.

This win marked the 5th PGA Tour victory this year for Woods, and the 70th of his PGA Tour career. It puts him three wins shy of Jack Nicklaus' mark, and only twelve behind the all-time wins leader, Sam Snead.

Woods will be the definite odds-on favorite, over the rest of the field, at the PGA Championship. But if Woods does not win the last major of the year, it will be a lost season for Woods, even though he has won five times this year. Woods was expected to win at least one or two majors this year, but has come out winless so far in the first three.