Tiger wins in return Down Under

Reuters

WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS: Tiger Woods holds the trophy after winning the Australian Masters golf tournament in Melbourne.

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American golfer Tiger Woods gave a record crowd at Kingston Heath what they wanted to see - exquisite shots and a closing round of four-under-par 68 to win the Australian Masters today for his seventh victory of the year.

In his first trip to Australia in 11 years, Woods put on quite a show for his $A3 million ($NZ3.83 million) appearance fee.

Woods pulled away from a three-way tie for the lead with three birdies on his opening six holes, then seized control with a tee shot to a back pin on the par-three 15th that covered the flag and stopped six feet away.

He wound up with a two-shot victory over Greg Chalmers, who simply couldn't keep up along the back nine.

Woods has now won 82 times around the world and in 13 countries at official tournaments. It was his first victory in Australia, where the government estimates its return on paying half of the appearance fee was $A20m.

The crowd approached 25,000 all four days, giving Kingston Heath the look and the energy of a major championship.

Woods slipped on a jacket for winning this Masters - gold, not green - and wrapped up his two-week international swing with a familiar outcome.

Asked what his legacy would be in Australia, Woods smiled and said, "I got a W."

"That was the goal this week," said Woods, who finished at 14-under 274.

"I'm very thankful to have a chance to play in front of great people and put together some good rounds."

It was a sloppy round yesterday that turned the final day into a race.

Woods showed early, however, that he had fixed whatever was wrong.

With a stiff breeze in his face, Woods ripped a three-wood to the par-five opening hole and the gallery erupted when it landed near the hole and rolled 30 feet away for a birdie.

Still tied with Chalmers, Woods took on a left pin at the par-four fifth that stopped less than four feet away, and followed that with a delicate pitch from about 69m to another dangerous pin, this one back and to the left at the edge of a deep bunker. It checked up at the ridge and trickled down to inside tap-in range.

About the only thing that flustered Woods was a photographer standing close to him on the 13th, and shooting two frames in the middle of his swing.

That led to his lone bogey, and it bothered Woods to the point that he rushed through his shots on the par-five 14th for another par, allowing Chalmers to stay close.

The hopes for anyone else ended on the 15th, however, and Woods settled for pars coming in.

"You had to make some birdies early, and I was able to do that," Woods said.

"I kept it going most of the day."

American Jason Dufner closed with a 70 and tied for third at 10-under 278 with Francois Delamontagne of France. James Nitties, who started out tied for the lead, shot 73 and finished alone in fifth, followed by fellow Australian Adam Scott, who closed with a 69.

Woods has one tournament remaining this year - his Chevron World Challenge in California the first week of December that counts toward the world ranking for the first time.

It is the sixth season in which Woods has won at least seven tournaments around the world.

- AP