Rock rolls over idols as Tiger unravels
Englishman battles nerves playing next to stars, but regains control
Tiger Woods talked all week about his improved ball control — then it let him down when he needed it most.
Woods resembled the Tiger of old over the first three rounds at the Abu Dhabi Championship, stringing together a trio of rounds below par before shooting an even 72 in Sunday’s finale to finish in a tie for third place behind winner Robert Rock and U.S. Open champion Rory Mcilroy.
The 117th-ranked Rock shot 70 for an overall 275 to beat Mcilroy (69) by a shot. Woods was a further shot back with Thomas Bjorn and Graeme Mcdowell, all firing a 68. Matteo Manassero, 18, of Italy fired a 69 and George Coetzee of South Africa were another shot back.
“Today I just didn’t give myself enough looks at it,” Woods said. “Most of my putts were lag putts. I didn’t drive the ball in as many fairways as I should have ... It was a day I was just a touch off the tee and consequently I couldn’t get the ball close enough.”
It marked the second straight time Woods hasn’t won with at least a share of the lead after 54 holes. He failed to win the Chevron World Challenge in 2010 after going into the final round with a four-shot lead over Mcdowell.
The 14-time major winner appears to have recovered from a two-year victory drought in which he was sidelined by injuries and personal turmoil.
But Woods must now face the fact that, at age 36, there are plenty of players who can potentially beat him. He was looking for the silver lining out of his third-place finish. He insisted he has been steadily improving, hitting a high percentage of fairways and greens until Sunday and putting much better.
“There’s plenty of big events to go, but I’m pleased at the progress I’ve made so far,” said Woods, who won the Chevron World Challenge last month to end his drought.
Coming into Sunday, Woods was tied for the lead with the unheralded Rock and was the favourite to win.
Rock had only one victory under his belt compared to 83 for Woods worldwide, but it was Rock, who held it together down the stretch.
“It’s pretty hard to believe that I managed to win today. Very surprised,” Rock said. “I played good. So I guess I had a chance from early on, a couple of birdies made the day feel a little bit easier.
“But it’s difficult playing with Tiger. You expect almost every shot to threaten to go in. It felt a lot of pressure and couldn’t afford any lapses in concentration at all.”
Woods started strong and it looked as though he might pull away from Rock, sinking a 40-footer on No. 2 for birdie and chipping to within a foot of the cup for a second birdie on the 3rd.
But Rock didn’t blink, making birdie on two of the first three holes to keep pace. Then Woods began to unravel. He started spraying his drives into the thick rough and fairway bunkers, resulting in bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. When Woods wasn’t missing the fairways, he was scrambling to save par as he did on 11 after overshooting the green.
As he approached his shot in deep rough just off the 11th green, he sighed heavily and let out a stream of obscenities under his breath.
Woods managed to save par by sinking a 12-footer and Rock just missed a birdie putt. Woods pumped his fist and appeared to be regaining momentum as he pulled within one shot of Rock on No. 13 when the Englishman had one of his three bogeys.
But the 34-year-old Rock birdied two of the next three holes to regain control.
Rock wobbled on the 18th when his drive landed in a pile of rocks near the water — forcing him to take a drop — but he recovered beautifully, reaching the green in four and two-putting for the win.
“I was just focusing on trying to hit fairways and then hit my iron shots as good as I have been and give myself chances at birdies,” Rock said.
It was a storybook ending for Rock, who rose from a club pro to join the European Tour in 2003 and only got his first tour win last year at the Italian Open. The victory will elevate him into the top 60.
Snedeker wins Open
SAN DIEGO / Brandt Snedeker won the Farmers Insurance Open in a playoff no one imagined possible until Kyle Stanley hit a wedge into the water and made triple bogey on the last hole.
Snedeker had a tap-in birdie on the 18th and was so certain he would be the runner-up that he drove up to the media centre for an interview, just in time to see Stanley run into trouble.
Both players made birdie on the 18th in the playoff, then Snedeker won on the second extra hole with a five-foot par putt. Stanley’s putt from about the same length caught the right side of the lip.
It was a devastating loss for Stanley, who led by seven shots in the round, and was four shots ahead as he stood on the 17th green.
Snedeker won his third PGA Tour title. He closed with a 5-under 67 to match Stanley (74) at 16 under at Torrey Pines. John Rollins shot a 71 to finish third, two strokes back.