Dealing with the destruction of his image, Tiger Woods was unable to attend his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge. Although no one really noticed, golf fans were treated to some interesting action. Shooting a five-under 67, Jim Furyk captured the title and its $1.35-million prize.
Jim Furyk capped a five-under 67 with the winning birdie on the 18th hole today to capture the Chevron World Challenge by one shot over Graeme McDowell.
McDowell, of Northern Ireland, was the last-minute addition to the 18-player field when Woods withdrew amid the growing publicity about his personal problems, which became a media sensation after Thanksgiving.
Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington finished at 11 under par, two shots behind Furyk, and four players were at nine under: Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Sean O’Hair and Ian Poulter.
South Korean Y.E. Yang, who shared the lead with McDowell after three rounds, ballooned to a 74 today and finished eight under par.
A trio of golfers, meanwhile, achieved a rare feat at the tournament: holing out long fairway shots.
Steve Stricker holed his second shot on the par-four 10th for an eagle two and Cink, playing in the twosome behind Stricker, did the exact same thing when he played the 10th hole.
Camilo Villegas then did them one better, holing out his second shot from the fairway on the par-five 13th hole for a double eagle two.
Stricker, who was second in the tournament last year behind winner Vijay Singh, used his eagle to score another rarity today: a 29 on the back nine holes. That gave him a 65 for the day and he also finished the event at seven under par.
Furyk actually led this tournament last year until he struggled during the final nine holes. It’s been a while since he’s made a dent in the game as his last win came at the Canadian Open in 2007. With Tiger in hiding, it will be interesting to watch which players succeed.
