Woods beats Love 3 and 2 in final

World number one Tiger Woods bounced back from a one-hole deficit midway through the 36-hole final to defeat Davis Love III 3 and 2 at the WGC-World Match Play Championship on Sunday.

Defending champion Woods trailed his U.S. Ryder Cup team mate after 18 holes but squared the match at the 20th before taking the lead for good five holes later at La Costa Resort & Spa.

Woods received $1.2 million for the victory, a record purse for the PGA Tour.

In the consolation match, Britain's Darren Clarke beat Stephen Leaney of Australia two up.

"It was a great day," Woods told reporters. "Davis played beautifully in the morning.

"I was struggling a little bit with my golf swing this morning but I putted beautifully and just kept myself in the match. It looked like I was going to go down pretty good in the morning."

Woods fell behind early, levelled the match, but then lost the ninth and 10th holes to go two down.

He found the rough off the tee at the par-five 11th and could only hit his second shot back on to the fairway. World number five Love was also in the fairway but dumped his approach into the front bunker.

Woods's third stroke found the green, about 20 feet from the pin, and he converted his putt for a four while Love splashed out to four feet but failed to sink his birdie effort.

"That was a big switch right there," Woods said. "He's standing in the fairway thinking if I put this ball on the green, ho-hum, I should win the hole and go three up.

"All of a sudden I make a 20-footer and he misses a short little four or five-footer. That is the epitome of match play. Then a couple of holes later we're all square."

The match remained all square until Love won the 16th and 17th but he missed another short putt on the 18th that allowed Woods to cut the deficit to one hole.

Love did not win another hole after the 17th.

"I felt like I should have been two or three up and I was only one up," Love said. "Then he made a nice putt on the 19th hole, and I bogeyed the 20th, and then I gave him a tie at the 21st.

"I just let him get away when I had him. It's unfortunate because I don't think in a round of golf, or two rounds of golf as it was today, I've ever driven it in such a perfect position on every hole and been swinging that good and not pulled it off."

After admitting he played much better to win the title in 2003, Woods said he was still satisfied with his performance this week.

"It was a lot easier last year because I was striking the ball, controlling it," he said. "It's certainly more difficult to win the way I did today.

"It basically boils down to what my dad has always told me when it comes to match play. All you have to do is just be better than your opponent that day, that's it."

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