Woods wins epic playoff over Furyk

Tiger Woods birdied the seventh hole of an epic playoff to defeat third-round leader Jim Furyk and capture his third straight title at the World Golf Championships - NEC Invitational on Sunday.

For the second year in a row Woods sank a two-foot birdie putt at the 18th to earn the $1 million first-place check for this elite-field event. But instead of finishing 11 shots ahead of the field like last year, Woods needed the short putt to put an end to the longest playoff on the PGA Tour in 10 years.

"It was a war out there, because neither one of us were going to give an inch," said Woods, who went over the $25 million mark in career earnings. "It was just fun to compete like that where you were tested to the absolute utmost."

Woods, who closed with a one-under 69 at Firestone Country Club, notched his fifth win of the season and the 29th of his career, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only players to post that many wins before the age of 30.

Woods, 25, will celebrate his five-year anniversary on the PGA Tour on Monday.

Furyk carded a one-over 71 on Sunday.

Both players bogeyed the final hole of regulation to finish tied at 12-under- par 268. They matched pars at the first six playoff holes, with Furyk holing out an improbable bunker shot at the first extra hole to stay alive.

Furyk failed to take advantage of a 12-foot birdie putt at the second playoff, while Woods missed the green but converted par after a poor chip to 15 feet. Furyk went on to miss a pair of eight-foot birdie try at the next two holes, and each player saved par from off the green the fifth time around.

At the sixth extra hole, Woods' second shot landed 60 feet from the pin and he nearly made the putt for birdie. Furyk, 35 feet away, missed the mark with his first stroke but made an uphill three-footer to extend the playoff.

Furyk found trouble off the tee at the seventh hole of sudden death. His ball came to rest in the rough under a tree and his punch second shot also got caught up in the long grass. Although he reached the putting surface with his third, Furyk was a long way from the hole.

Woods, meanwhile, drove into the fairway then knocked a spectacular approach from 140 yards out that spun back to two feet, setting up the winning birdie.

He claimed his fourth win in seven starts in the World Golf Championships individual events and now has captured three straight crowns in four different tournaments.

Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur from 1991-93, the U.S. Amateur from 1994-96, and this past June reeled in his third straight title at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

With this victory, Woods has won six straight starts in Ohio. He ran his playoff record to 6-1.

Furyk's record in extra holes dropped to 1-3.

"I played well enough to win this week," said Furyk, who came into the final round with a two-shot lead over Woods. "My putter kind of failed me today.

"I putted super yesterday. I had a great putting round and that's what I needed today."

The last time a PGA Tour playoff went seven holes was in 1991, when Bruce Fleisher, now a star on the Senior Tour, beat Ian Baker-Finch in the New England Classic for his only title on the main circuit. Baker-Finch went on to win the British Open the following week.

North Ireland's Darren Clarke was the only player other than Woods to post all four rounds in the 60s this week. He turned in a final-round 69 to finish alone in third place at nine-under 271, two shots ahead of fellow European Tour star Colin Montgomerie, who shot 70.

Although neither Clarke nor Montgomerie needed the Ryder Cup points that came with their high finishes Sunday, Bernhard Langer could have used them.

Germany's Langer, ninth in the European Ryder Cup standings at the start of the week, struggled to a three-over-par 73 in the final round and tied for 11th. He held on to the ninth Ryder Cup spot with his winnings from Sunday, but with a better showing could have locked up a spot in the top-10.

The final event for European players to collect points is next week at the BMW International Open in Munich. Those who finish in the top-10 in the Ryder Cup standings earn automatic berths on the European squad for the late September matches at The Belfry in England.

Davis Love III fired the day's co-low round of 68 for a share of fifth place at six-under 274 with Stuart Appleby (70) and Paul Azinger (72), while Phil Mickelson (72) and Ernie Els (72) tied for eighth at minus-five.

U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen took solo 10th at four-under. David Toms, who was crowned PGA champion one week ago, was part of a group at two-under par.

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