TORONTO, 8 March 2005 — Tiger Woods regained the world No. 1 ranking after winning a gripping duel with Phil Mickelson to register a one-stroke victory at the Doral Open on Sunday.
Trailing Mickelson by two shots at the start of play, Woods mounted one of his patented charges to card a final round six-under 66 at Miami’s Doral Resort for a 24-under 264 total.
The victory was Woods’ second of the season and returned the 29-year-old American to the top of the rankings, ending Vijay Singh’s 26-week reign as No. 1. Woods had held top spot for a record 264 consecutive weeks before being dethroned by the Fijian last September.
“I just felt like had to keep making birdies, pars just weren’t going to get it done,” said Woods, who broke the 72 hole tournament record of 265 held by Jim Furyk and Greg Norman.
The final round of the $5.5 million event took on the feel of a heavyweight title bout as the two most popular players on the PGA Tour went toe-to-toe on the famed Blue Monster, treating the huge galleries to a pulsating afternoon of golf.
Having lost to Woods all three times they have clashed in a final round, a deflated Mickelson slumped off the 18th bloodied but unbowed demanding a rematch as soon as possible.
Trailing by a single shot as they made the turn, Woods turned up the heat, catching Mickelson with a birdie on 10, then shocking the US Masters champion with an eagle on the par five 12th to surge two clear.
Mickelson, however, demonstrated plenty of grit of his own, holing back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 to pull level and set the stage for a dramatic finish. With the holes dwindling and pressure mounting, Woods and Mickelson both carded their only bogeys of the day at the 16th, the shortest par four at Doral.
At the 17th, Woods displayed the determination and focus that has been the trademark of his brilliant career, draining a 28-foot birdie putt to seize control. The drama, however, was far from over. Battling until the end, Mickelson kept the gallery in suspense, his chip from the fringe on 18 that could have forced a playoff rimming the cup, Woods sealing the win with a six-foot putt.
Sorenstam Opens 2005 Season With Three-Stroke Victory in Mexico
Annika Sorenstam, playing in her first tournament of the 2005 season, shot a four-under 68 in Sunday’s final round to post a three-shot win at the $1.2 million LPGA Mexico City event.
Sorenstam rallied from four shots back to finished at seven-under 209, three shots better than Aussie Karrie Webb. South Korea’s Hee-Won Han and American Cristie Kerr finished tied for third four shots back. Kerr entered the final round with a two-shot lead but stumbled to a three-over 75.
While Kerr was coming back to the field, Sorenstam was applying the pressure early. The world No. 1 birdied five consecutive holes starting at No. 2 before getting into trouble.
Sorenstam followed up her birdie binge with three consecutive bogeys to close out the front nine. She rebounded with three birdies on the back and a bogey at 17 came with the tournament already in hand.
