Two tournaments, two continents, two playoff victories.
Tiger Woods’ year is off to a perfect start.
Two shots behind with two holes to play, Woods drove the green on the 359-yard 17th hole to set up a birdie-birdie finish that got him into a playoff, where he defeated Ernie Els on the first extra hole Sunday to win the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” said Woods, who hadn’t started a season with two victories since his record-setting year in 2000. “Two playoffs, too. Very stressful, but I was somehow able to come out on top. I was very fortunate today.”
It was similar to the previous weekend in San Diego, when Woods birdied the final hole to get into a playoff at the Buick Invitational and won with pars while opponents made mistakes.
Els also birdied the last hole with a 6-foot putt. But on the par-5 18th hole in the playoff, he pulled his tee shot into the sandy grove of palms, and his approach came up about a yard short into the water. He took a drop and pitched 20 feet beyond the hole, and missed his par putt.
Woods, who went just over the back of the green in the playoff, chipped to within 6 feet and two-putted for par.
“I had a two-way miss going,” Woods said. “I could hit it right or left at any given time, and that’s not a whole lot of fun.
“Somehow I just hung in there with my short game and hit some very good shots on the back nine.”
Woods closed with a 3-under-par 69, finishing with a birdie from behind the 18th green in regulation to join Els at 19-under 269.
Richard Green of Australia birdied four of five holes down the stretch to take the lead, but he drove into a plugged lie in the sandy palm grove and took bogey on the 18th.
Els shot 5-under 67, but the ending was all too familiar. It was the third time he has lost in a playoff to Woods, and the seventh time the 36-year-old South African has finished second to Woods.
“I cannot complain,” said Els, who is coming back from knee surgery last year. “After all the hassle I had with the leg to come back … and to almost win is fine.”
PGA Tour: J.B. Holmes, a rookie, gained five shots on his nearest competitor on the 15th hole and walked away with a seven-stroke victory at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. It was only his fourth tournament since joining the tour.
The long-driving 23-year-old from Kentucky shot a 5-under 66 in the final round – 5-under 31 on the back nine – to finish at 21-under 263 and win $936,000. Combined with the $127,500 he won for a 10th-place tie at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Holmes becomes the fastest to win $1 million on the tour in PGA history. It took Retief Goosen five tournaments to reach $1 million in 2001.
Ryan Palmer, who made the turn with a one-shot lead, hit the water twice for a triple bogey on the par-5, 552-yard 15th, while his playing partner Holmes sank a 14-footer for an eagle. Holmes’ one-shot lead expanded to six, and the tournament was decided.
“It’s just so exciting to actually come through with one of your dreams,” Holmes said. “I’m just kind of at a loss for words right now.”
Palmer finished in a five-way tie for second at 14-under 270.
Steve Lowery, J.J Henry, Camilo Villegas and Scott Verplank also were 14-under.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson birdied five of his last six holes, including the last four in a row, to finish tied with Justin Leonard and Jonathan Byrd at 13-under 271.
Champions Tour: Peter Jacobsen has won seven times on the PGA Tour and hoisted two trophies on the tour, earning more than $9 million in his career.
Still, one of his biggest highlights will come today – when he will play alongside Arnold Palmer at the Champions Skins Game in Wailea, Hawaii.
Jacobsen is paired with Palmer in a four-team field featuring some of the top golfers in history, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Dana Quigley.
The elite eight have combined to win 561 tournaments worldwide – including 49 majors – and more than $100 million.
