Woods gains two shot victory

For a month now, while Tiger Woods was soaking up the sunshine on his boat and playing golf with his buddies back home, there actually was talk of a Player of the Year race on the PGA Tour.

On Sunday, one week after his sabbatical ended, Woods may not have completely silenced those discussions. But he certainly made sure he wasn't overlooked anymore as he successfully defended his title at the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship.

Woods had said the American Express Championship and The Tour Championship, which ends the season, would determine the identity of the Player of the Year. And it still could -- if the right player wins The Tour Championship -- but Woods certainly made a strong case for himself this week at the Capital City Club.

Woods now has five victories in 2003, one more than anyone else in a season of eight multiple winners. And the $1.05 million first prize also propelled Woods ahead of Singh and back to the top of the money list, where he has ended the season each of the last four seasons.

Still, Woods, who has earned $6,278,746 this year, doesn't think the Player of the Year title is his quite yet.

"Right now, it is still kind of up for grabs because if (Mike) Weirsy or (Jim) Furyk or Vijay (Singh), those guys win The Tour Championships, they have a chance to win, or even Davis, so a lot of different things can happen at that last tournament," Woods said.

Woods, who is bidding for a fifth straight Player of the Year Award, has won two World Golf Championships events this year but he didn't win a major for the first time since 1998. He has two more wins than Masters champion Mike Weir, though, and three more than U.S. Open champ Jim Furyk.

"I'd have to sit down and look at all the results, his record versus everyone else, when it's all over," said David Toms, who closed with a 65 on Sunday to slip into fifth place.

"To win against this field, on this golf course with a major-like setup, it will have a lot of weight to it."

Sunday's most recent title -- the 39th of Woods' career, which tied him for ninth all-time with Tom Watson and Gene Sarazen -- didn't come easily. But Woods never lost his composure on a day when he wasn't hitting on all cylinders and held off challenges first from Vijay Singh and later from Tim Herron.

Woods shot a 2-over 72 but still won by three strokes over Stuart Appleby, Herron and Singh. He grinned broadly and slapped the hand of his caddie, Steve Williams, as they walked up the 18th fairway to the cheers of the crowd.

The victory was the 100th of his career for Williams, one of the game's most respected caddies. "I was trying to get it done for him at one of the majors," Woods said, grinning. That being said, perhaps the American Express Championship was the next best thing.

"It's fun when you have a chance to play against the best," Woods said. "This is right off the world ranking -- it can't get any better than that. "

Woods said the way the Crabapple Course was set up reminded him of a major championship "without a doubt." He called it "pretty testy" and a "challenge to get the ball close." Sunday's scoring average of 72.542 was the second highest of the week.

"It's so much work when you have to play a golf course that's this difficult," Woods said. "It's like in a U.S. Open where every shot is stressed. There's not one shot where you can go ahead and say, oh, wherever I hit it, no big deal."

Woods, who just missed a birdie at the 18th hole by inches, was better than the average, though, as he finished at 6-under-274. Appleby closed with a 68 while Herron shot 71 and Singh, who played with Woods, a 72.

Appleby, who will play for the International Team at The Presidents Cup next month, was the only player to break par on the unforgiving Crabapple Course among the final 12 to tee off on Sunday.

"Today was just being conservative," Woods said. "I didn't have to try and shoot a low number today. I knew that if I shot one, maybe two, at the most, that would get the job done. As it turned out, after nine holes, I figured probably even par for the day would win, probably by one, but it ended up being more than that."

Woods started the final round with a two-stroke advantage and never lost it, although Herron closed within a shot twice. Singh's hopes all but ended with consecutive birdies at the ninth and 10th holes while Herron played his final five holes in 3 over.

"I finished horribly today," said the disappointed Herron. "I felt like I had a chance to win."

For Herron, who has not won since the 1999 Bay Hill Invitational, his share of second place was further validation that his game was returning to the form that saw him win three times in his first four years on Tour. Herron has six top-10s this year, including four in the top 3.

"I guess tomorrow I'll probably learn from this," said Herron, who felt he lost his rhythm when he and playing partner K.J. Choi were put on the clock on the back nine. "Right now I'm too disappointed and too angry to really think about it.

"But it's been a good year. You know, when I was playing poorly, I would have loved to be in this position. So I've got to remember that I put myself in this position. I guess I'll just go out next week and play hard."

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