Tour Championship and Tour school: Retief Goosen recovered from a four-shot deficit to shoot a final round 64 and hold off Tiger Woods and Jay Haas in the $6 million Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta yesterday.
In similar fashion to his victory at the US Open this year, the South African played methodically to hit 17 out of 18 greens in regulation and made the necessary putts to take a one-stroke lead at the turn.
Goosen's third win of the season - he also won the European Open at the K Club - brought him a cheque of $1,080,000.
Both third round co-leaders Haas and Woods took some time to get their games going in yesterday's final round. Woods made three bogeys and Haas two before they eventually carded birdies on the par-five ninth hole to move into a tie with Goosen.
Over the last nine holes Goosen continued his assault. He holed from 25 feet at the 13th for birdie and made a remarkable four at the par five 15th after driving into a fairway bunker. Woods and Haas could not come close to matching him but when the former world number one briefly threatened with his own birdie on the 15th, Goosen replied with a superb approach to the difficult 16th to pull two ahead.
Woods finished tamely with bogeys at the 16th and 17th but that was good enough for second place at seven-under-par with a two-over-par 72, four shots behind Goosen. It meant that Woods finished the season without a victory in a strokeplay event.
First round co-leader Jerry Kelly was six-under-par through 11 holes, eventually shooting a five-under-par 65 to finish in third place at six-under-par.
Stephen Ames from Trinidad, Australian Mark Hensby and Canadian Mike Weir finished tied for fourth at five-under.
Vijay Singh's bid to win his 10th event of the PGA Tour season and pass the $11 million mark in earnings failed as he finished in ninth place at three-under-par after shooting a final round 65.
Padraig Harrington finished in 14th place after a closing 68 for a level par aggregate but Darren Clarke endured more frustration on the greens in his round of 71 to finish one shot further back in tied 15th place.
