Zach Johnson's miracle shot sinks Tiger Woods in his own tournament

THOUSAND OAKS: Zach Johnson salvaged a stunning par at the 72nd hole then beat world number one Tiger Woods at the first playoff hole of the $US3.5 million ($3.85 million) World Challenge on Sunday.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, 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, Johnson holed his shot from the drop area 60 metres out to make par and complete a four-under 68.

Tigers Woods walks off the green as Zach Johnson is congrtulated by PGA Tour rules official Mark Russell.

Woods parred the 72nd hole from a greenside bunker to cap a two-under 70 that left him tied with Johnson on 13-under 275.

Johnson parred the first playoff hole as Woods -- in the bunker again -- missed a five-footer to extend the playoff.

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 he 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.

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Zach Johnson edges Tiger Woods in stunning end to World Challenge

ZACH Johnson salvaged a stunning par at the 72nd hole then beat world No. 1 Tiger Woods at the first playoff hole of the $3.5 million World Challenge on Sunday.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, denied Woods 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, Johnson holed his shot from the drop area 65 yards out to make par and complete a four-under 68.

Woods parred the 72nd hole from a greenside bunker to cap a two-under 70 that left him tied with Johnson on 13-under 275.

Johnson parred the first playoff hole as Woods - in the bunker again - missed a five-footer to extend the playoff.

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 he 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.

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Zach Johnson beats Tiger Woods in play-off to clinch World Challenge title

Zach Johnson beat Tiger Woods at the first extra hole of a play-off to clinch the World Challenge title following a dramatic finish at Sherwood Country Club.

Woods appeared to be on course for a sixth victory at the event he hosts in California as he led by four shots through ten holes of the final round.

But Johnson produced some superb golf down the stretch to reel in his man with a birdie at the par-three 17th drawing him level with long-time leader Woods at 13-under-par.

However, the drama was only just beginning to unfold. With Woods having dumped his approach at 18 into a greenside bunker, Johnson looked to have the upper hand only to then produce a borderline shank from the middle of the fairway, sending his ball into the water short of the green.

Incredibly, though, the 2007 Masters champion then responded by holing his next shot from the drop-zone to record an unlikely par.

Woods showed commendable composure to get up-and-down from the sand to force a play-off, but then found almost an identical spot in the same trap as the players went down 18 for a second time.

On this occasion Johnson found the left side of the green with his approach but saw his subsequent birdie putt just drift past the hole.

Lipped out

Having played another superb bunker shot, Woods had left himself about four feet to extend the play-off but could only watch on in disbelief as his effort lipped out.

It meant Johnson clinched the title for the first time after two runner-up finishes in what is the last edition of the tournament to be played at Sherwood.

A delighted Johnson (68) said of his remarkable chip-in at 18 first time around: "Lot of luck, but I had a good number and I'm very lucky it went in."

Woods (70) was magnanimous in defeat and commented: "It was pretty impressive what he did on 16, 17 and 18 and he got me."

Bubba Watson (70) and Matt Kuchar (67) finished in a tie for third at nine-under, Kuchar threatening to get in the shake-up after a front nine of just 31 strokes before seeing his challenge derailed by a double-bogey at ten.

Webb Simpson was two shots further back in fifth, while defending champion Graeme McDowell ended in sixth, one place ahead of Ian Poulter.

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Nedbank Golf Challenge: Thomas Bjorn thrilled with 'special' victory

Thomas Bjorn admitted victory in the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City ranks highly amongst his career highlights.

The veteran Dane blitzed the field on the back nine with two eagles and a birdie rendering a dropped shot at the last hole meaningless.

His 20-under par finishing total was two strokes better than Sergio Garcia and Jamie Donaldson, who he had trailed over the front nine before his eagle blitz.

"This is right up there with the best days of my career," said Bjorn.

"You never forget your first victory, and then my win against Tiger in Dubai when I went toe-to-toe with him for four days and came out top was special, but winning here in the way that I did against a field of this quality is up there.

"I knew I had to shoot something low and then see what Jamie was doing.

"It turned out that it was Sergio and every time I saw a leaderboard he was making birdies. I am very proud of the way I played today - it's a very special day in my career.

My day

"It's not often you make two eagles on the back nine on a Sunday when you are in contention and it was just one of those days when it was my day.

"The five-iron I hit into the 10th was the shot of the week, and then I got a bit of luck on 14 because the ball pitched in the bunker and made it to the green but I still had to hole the putt and those are the little breaks you need to win golf tournaments."

Garcia was delighted with his week's business in South Africa despite coming up short as Bjorn stole the show.

"It was a great week and a great final round but in the end I just couldn't catch Thomas," Garcia said.

"It was one of those days when I was making loads of birdies but he just kept matching me. I couldn't have done much more and you have to congratulate Thomas on a great victory."

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Hong Kong Open: Miguel Angel Jimenez determined to qualify for Ryder Cup

Miguel Angel Jimenez set his sights on becoming Europe's oldest Ryder Cup player after retaining his Hong Kong Open crown at Fanling.

The 49-year-old nailed a 25-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a play-off with Prom Meesawat and Stuart Manley to claim the title for a record-equalling fourth time.

The Spaniard has now won 13 of his 20 European Tour titles since turning 40, and his latest victory in Hong Kong extended his own record as the oldest winner in Tour history.

"I love this place, I love this golf course," said Jimenez, who closed with a 66 to earn a share of the lead with Manley and Meesawat. "I played very well this week and tied the record with four victories."

Jimenez missed out on the Ryder Cup team last year at Medinah, but he is determined to make a fifth appearance for Europe at Gleneagles next autumn.

He turns 50 on January 5 and would beat the record of Ted Ray - who was 50 years, two months and five days old at the inaugural contest in 1927 - if he can qualify for Paul McGinley's team.

"If I play the way I am playing this week I will be in the Ryder Cup team," he added. "There is one more year to go and now I get this victory here it will help a lot. You never know; I would love to be part of the team again."

Jimenez grabbed the advantage in the play-off when he opted to hit driver off the tee, leaving him a short-iron approach to a tight pin after Meesawat's second came up short and Manley's 200-yard second clattered into a sponsors tent.

Meesawat chipped to three feet, and Manley was lining up a long putt to save par when Jimenez rolled in his birdie putt to end the contest.

Risk

"I hit driver (on the 18th) because I saw the pin position," Jimenez said. "It's a very tough corner and you need to hit a short club into there or play into the middle green because there is not much space there.

"On the play-off hole I did the same thing; if you want to make birdie and attack the hole you need to hit a short club so you have to take the risk and hit driver and I did it."

Meesawat held a three-shot lead after making his second eagle of the round at 13, but he dropped a shot at the next and parred in to card a 65 set the clubhouse target at 12 under.

Speaking before the play-off, he said: "It was a beautiful day for me, I had two eagles on par fives, everything was perfect.

"I was a bit unlucky on 14, my ball was lying on a stick and I didn't hit a good second shot and made a bogey, but that was the only mistake today. I am very pleased with my round."

Manley, who gained notoriety at the World Cup of Golf when he followed a hole-in-one with an 11 at the next, chipped in at the 18th to join the play-off and declared he was "pretty pleased" with his performance.

"Obviously I'm disappointed to lose in a play-off with a poor shot, but for Miguel to make birdie is pretty special," he added. "It was pretty special to make three myself to get into the play-off. So I can take a lot from the week.

"I said to my caddie that we could do something special. It was a great chip in at 18 and I think I started celebrating before it went in.

"This week will give me a lot of confidence. It's money on the board for The Race to Dubai and everything feels very positive."

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Tiger Woods holds sway at World Challenge

Thousand Oaks, California: Tiger Woods’s even-par 72 was enough to give the tournament host the third-round lead on a blustery Saturday at the $3.5 million World Challenge.

A day after the 14-time major champion hit every green in regulation en route to a 10-under par 62 that equalled his own Sherwood Country Club course record, Woods found the going tougher on a day that started in cold rain and ended with the sun shining and a chilly, unpredictable wind.

Woods notched the last of his four birdies at the par-four 18th, balancing four bogeys as he built a 54-hole total of 11-under par 205 and maintained his two-stroke cushion over 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson.

Johnson briefly took a one-stroke lead after a birdie at the ninth, but two-double bogeys — at the par-three 12th and 15th — kept him from applying more pressure. He, too, birdied 18 to cap an even-par 72 for 207.

“It was a tough day,” Woods said. “The wind was all over the place. It was really tough to pull clubs, and even though the greens were softer, they were still pretty quick.”

Bubba Watson was alone in third after a 69 for 209. Watson’s was one of just four rounds under par produced by the elite field of 18.

One of those belonged to former world No 1 Rory McIlroy, whose four-under 68 was the low round of the day but still left him 13 shots off the lead after his struggles in the first two rounds.

While Woods said the tricky conditions had a lot to do with the difference in his score, he said he made a few mistakes that cost him shots. That included three-putt bogeys at the 13th and 15th.

“I’m pleased at having the lead, I’m not real pleased with the way I putted today,” Woods said. “Obviously 13, three-putting there from six, seven feet, and three-putting 15 as well — I left a few out there today.”

The bogey at 15 did not hurt Woods as much as it might have, since Johnson ended up with a double-bogey after hitting into the water hazard. In fact, eight found the water at the 15th, and three of them found it twice.

“I thought Zach hit it perfect,” Woods said of his playing partner’s tee shot at 15. “He hit a little cut five-iron and it was right on the flag.

“I thought it was the perfect flight to get there. Ended up just shy, obviously.”

Johnson said both of his double-bogeys were the result of mis-clubs. “But I was committed to them and I hit them solid,” he said. “So it was unfortunate in that regard.”

Although his score could have been lower, Johnson said birdies at 16 and 18 had him in position to challenge for the $1 million top prize in a tournament in which he has twice finished runner-up.

He and Woods duelled for the title in 2011, when Woods birdied the last two holes to erase a one-shot deficit and beat Johnson by one stroke.

That was the most recent of Woods’s five victories in the tournament he hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation, and it ended a two-year victory drought.

LEADING SCORES

205 - Tiger Woods 71-62-72

207 - Zach Johnson 67-68-72

209 - Bubba Watson 70-70-69

212 - Matt Kuchar 68-68-76

213 - Webb Simpson 73-71-69

214 - Jason Day (AUS) 76-68-70, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 72-67-75

215 - Jim Furyk 72-69-74, Bill Haas 73-68-74

216 - Ian Poulter (ENG) 76-67-73

218 - Rory McIlroy (NIR) 73-77-68, Keegan Bradley 75-68-75

222 - Hunter Mahan 70-80-72

223 - Lee Westwood (ENG) 74-75-74, Steve Stricker 75-74-74, Jason Dufner 74-71-78

225 - Dustin Johnson 74-79-72

226 - Jordan Spieth 77-72-77

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Tiger stays in front in California as McDowell fades

Tiger Woods is in good position heading into Sunday's final round to clinch his sixth victory at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge but he will keep a wary eye on Zach Johnson, his closest challenger.

Johnson has twice finished second to Woods at the elite event hosted by the world number one, and he gave the 14-times major champion a battle royale in 2011 when they duelled for supremacy down the stretch.

Woods ending up winning that year's edition by a single shot, but needed birdies on the final two holes at Sherwood Country Club to keep the gritty Johnson at bay.

"Zach's not going anywhere," Woods told reporters after maintaining a two-stroke lead over fellow American Johnson by shooting a level-par 72 in difficult scoring conditions in Saturday's third round.

"He's consistent, he's tough and he's proven that he can win major championships," he said of the 2011 Masters champion. "So I knew that, and it was a great battle."

Woods had trailed Johnson by a shot going into the final round of the 2011 World Challenge and went on to seal victory with a birdie-birdie finish, draining a 15-footer at the 17th and a six-footer at the last.

"I had an uphill right-to-left around 17 which I pulled in there, and on 18 that little downhill right-to-lefter," Woods reflected of a win that ended a title drought of just over two years.

"I hadn't won in a while, so not only to have won my tournament but also the way I did can it against the person I did it against. He's just tough to beat."

Woods has always enjoyed competing at Sherwood Country Club and knows he is in prime position heading into the final round.

"We'll see what happens," the 14-times major champion smiled after both he and Johnson had finished birdie-par-birdie on Saturday. "I'm playing well right now, I think. I've had, what, five wins and like four seconds here at this place.

"Sherwood has certainly fit my eye, and I would love to win here. It would mean a lot to us at the (Tiger Woods) Foundation, and I'm going to try and get it done and then move to my old home course next year."

The World Challenge, which raises money for foundation projects and the six learning centers Woods has set up in the United States, will be shifting to Isleworth Country Club outside Orlando in Florida next December.

"I've played hundreds of rounds there (at Isleworth) and competed in the Tavistock Cup there a few times there as well," said Florida resident Woods.

"(Winning on Sunday) it would be special not just for myself but for the foundation and everyone who's involved with us and what we're trying to do."

Defending champion Graeme McDowell slipped from five under to two under, but fellow Northern Irishman McIlroy had a better day.

He holed six birdies, with the only blemish a double bogey at the 15th.

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Donaldson three shots clear

Sun City - Four birdies on the back nine saw Welshman Jamie Donaldson maintain his three stroke lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Saturday with one round to play.

The 38-year-old, chasing his biggest single payday yet at the $6.5-million event, kept up Friday's momentum as he returned a third round score of 67 for a 16-under-par total of 200.

He might have had a more comfortable lead in search of the $1.25-million first prize, had he not bogeyed the 17th at the Gary Player Country Club.

"I was in between clubs and it put me in trouble but in the end I came out with a good five. I'm still in a strong position and I've got to go out there on Sunday and play really good golf," he told Supersport television.

"It's a tough field, a lead of three doesn't mean much among these guys."

Donaldson leads from Thomas Bjorn of Denmark and American Ryan Moore, who are 13-under-par.

Bjorn played one of the best rounds of the day, birdying the 18th for a second successive day to finish with a 66.

"I got off to a good start and played solid golf. That's what you need to do on this course. If I can shoot 66 or 67 on Sunday, I'll give myself a chance. But you have to play sensible golf, not try and chase down the leader," Bjorn said at the end of his round.

Moore followed a second round 65 with a 67 on Saturday, with five birdies in a bogey-free round.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand both matched Bjorn's 66 to go 11-under, along with world number three Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who hit a double bogey at the par-five ninth to finish with a 69.

For three-time winner Ernie Els, making a record 18th appearance at the tournament called 'Africa's major', a triple bogey early in his round saw him finish with a 77 for a seven-over total that leaves him tie bottom of the elite 30-man field. 

Collated third round scores and totals on Saturday in the European & Sunshine Tour Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

200 - Jamie Donaldson 67-66-67

203 - Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 67-70-66, Ryan Moore (USA) 71-65-67

205 - Sergio Garcia (ESP) 66-73-66, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 69-67-69, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 69-70-66

207 - Brendon De Jonge 70-68-69

208 - D.A. Points (USA) 71-67-70, Darren Fichardt (RSA) 71-68-69

209 - Peter Uihlein (USA) 70-69-70, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 68-70-71, Justin Rose 73-67-69

210 - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 74-69-67

211 - Martin Kaymer (GER) 71-66-74, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (ESP) 67-72-72

213 - Luke Donald 68-71-74

215 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 76-70-69, Branden Grace (RSA) 75-71-69, Morten Orum Madsen (DEN) 76-71-68

216 - Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 73-72-71

217 - Joost Luiten (NED) 74-68-75, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-76-70, Richard Sterne (RSA) 73-73-71

218 - Matteo Manassero (ITA) 72-74-72

219 - David Lynn 73-71-75

222 - Dawie Van Der Walt (RSA) 77-72-73, Gary Woodland (USA) 74-73-75

223 - Ernie Els (RSA) 75-71-77, Peter Senior (AUS) 80-68-75, Kevin Streelman (USA) 75-71-77

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