Vincent Publishing - Index

Vincent Publishing - 2008 Northern Trust Open - Index

were to play at Cog Hill, he again would be paired with
Woods the first two days. That might be incentive enough the
way he handled Woods at the TPC Boston, staying ahead of
him the first two rounds and playing his best when it mattered.
Instead, he played a corporate outing on Monday at
Medinah and then flew home to San Diego, skipping the
BMW Championship and making for more headlines. The
fact that anyone was even talking about golf in September
was a positive. The playoff system was working.
Romp in Chicago
With Mickelson out of the tournament, a place where his best
finish in 10 appearances as a professional was a T26 in
1996, Woods was the odds on favorite. After all, he had won
there three times and finished second the previous two years
in his 12 career appearances, two as an amateur, at Cog
Hill’s Dubsdread No. 4.
The result in the suburbs of Chicago didn’t surprise anyone.
Woods was where most everyone figured he would be heading
into the final week of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the
FedExCup.
With a 50-foot birdie putt that got him back on track on
Sunday, Woods matched the lowest final round of his career
with an 8-under 63 that shattered the scoring record and
gave him a two-shot victory in the BMW Championship.
Woods took the lead for good with a 12-foot birdie on the
13th hole and kept his distance from Aaron Baddeley and
Stricker with a swing so solid that he missed only two fairways
all weekend. Woods finished at 22-under 262, breaking the
record he set four years ago at Cog Hill by five shots.
It also gave him a commanding lead with one week
remaining in the FedExCup and the Commissioner was
breathing easier.
Woods headed to East Lake in Atlanta with a 3,133-point
lead over Stricker, who finished third at Cog Hill, and a 4,120point
margin over Mickelson.
All that mattered was winning at Cog Hill for the fourth time.
It was Woods’ sixth victory of the year, and the 60th in his 11
years on the PGA TOUR. He earned $1.26 million to go over
$9 million in season earnings for the fourth time in his career.
“It’s all about the W,” Woods said.
No doubt in Atlanta
It was all about the math before THE TOUR Championship,
with everyone trying to figure out who had a chance to knock
Woods off the roost. Mickelson would have to win to have
any hopes of capturing the FedExCup. If Stricker didn’t win at
East Lake, Woods could win the Cup by finishing second.
Only two other players — Sabbatini and Choi — had a mathematical
chance of winning the FedExCup.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Tiger Woods holds the J.K. Wadley Cup after winning the BMW Championship in Chicago.
By Friday in Atlanta, it really didn’t matter. In the second
round, Woods grabbed a three-shot lead with a 63 that
included eight birdies and an eagle.
Woods did it again on Sunday. He made something out of
the ordinary seem completely natural as he won THE TOUR
Championship presented by Coca-Cola — and with that, the
inaugural FedExCup and its $10 million bonus.
Woods was nothing short of magnificent, closing with a 66 to
finish at 23 under and beat Johnson and Mark Calcavecchia
by a whopping eight strokes. He earned $1.26 million, bringing
his total for the year to $10,867,052 and marking the second
time in three years that he’s hit eight figures.
2008 OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT MAGAZINE 61
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES