adminLeaving aside — for the moment — his contentious drop at the 14th and the ongoing animosity with Sergio Garcia, Woods can feel as though he has broken new ground with his fourth win of an already remarkable golf season.
This quartet of victories have come from a mere seven tournaments and the big difference with this one is that it was achieved on a course that rarely fits his eye.
Since coming back from injury and the 2009 break-up of his marriage, his wins have come at his favourite courses. He is a multiple winner at places like Bay Hill, Torrey Pines and Doral.
The same cannot be said of Sawgrass where Woods had had only one top-10 finish since winning in 2001 – until Sunday. The Stadium Course, especially since the move of the Players Championship to May, offers little margin for error and rarely has his game coped with its demands.
His two-stroke victory shows how far he has come with his game and his influence over the rest of the field. Not only could he knock it round in 13 under par, but his presence atop the leaderboard helped force errors among his rivals.
Most notably, Garcia chased the tucked pin at the island green 17th when he knew two closing pars would probably be enough to force a play-off. — BBC Sport.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter