World
number one Tiger Woods earned favourites the United States their 22nd World Cup
title, this one by five strokes from Spain on 23-under-par 545, on Sunday.
With Woods's team mate Mark O'Meara faltering, Spanish playing partners Miguel
Martin and Santiago Luna had overtaken the Americans by the eighth hole but then
the rampant Woods steered his team home with four consecutive birdies from the
turn.
Woods's six-under-par
65 for a 21-under-par 263 four-round total helped him to win the individual International
Trophy by nine strokes, the best winning margin in 45 World Cups.
It was the world number one's 10th win of the year, his fourth in five weeks and
fifth in his last six tournaments.
Woods's achievement was all the more remarkable as O'Meara had the worst final
round he could remember in competition. A 77 for the 1998 double major champion
kept Spain right in the hunt until the closing holes.
Luna and Martin went ahead by one after Woods, who had collected an eagle and
a birdie early on to nullify O'Meara's four dropped shots, bogeyed the eighth.
But as Woods surged back,
the Spaniards lost their way, dropping five strokes in four holes from the ninth,
with Luna responsible for four of them.
"We
came here with the intention of winning," said Woods. "Mark didn't have the best
of days but he made crucial putts at the right time and hung in there, never gave
up."
O'Meara, however, was
dejected with his performance and said: "That was the worst I've felt in a final
round of any competition.
"Tiger
rose to the occasion and he would have won this event on his own.
"I was proud to witness somebody with so
much greatness. He's awesome and there's a lot more of this to come."
Woods's performance enabled him to surpass American Sam Snead, whose eight-shot
winning individual margin at Dorada Beach, Puerto Rico, has stood for 38 years.
His aggregate of 263, also
bettering Fred Couples's 1994 Dorado Beach World Cup record by two, took him nine
shots better than second-placed Frank Nobilo of New Zealand in the individual
standings.
Martin, Mamoru
Osanai of first-round leaders Japan and Argentinian Angel Cabrera were a stroke
further back.
Only a last-hole
bogey tarnished Woods's day as he followed up on his 63 of the third round.
"It's a great honour to win," said Woods.
"I won't rank it with my other wins because they're all different but this trophy
has a lot of great names on it and I'm proud to add mine."
Martin's 68 helped Spain to capture second place, with Luna, out in 31 and back
in 41, shooting 72.
The Spanish
team finished four strokes ahead of third-placed Ireland, whose team of Paul McGinley
and Padraig Harrington won at Kiawah Island in 1997.
Bogeys apiece on the last by Cabrera and partner Eduardo Romera relegated Argentina
to fourth place, another stroke back.
