Golf Target World ChallengeDavis Love III, securing his fifth win of the year, was forced to withstand a ferocious charge from world number one Tiger Woods before securing victory in the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club, California, yesterday.

Although he started the rain-hampered final round nine shots clear of Woods, and actually opened up a 10 shot lead over the tournament's host when birdieing the fifth hole, Love struggled thereafter - his round including bogeys at the seventh and ninth and a double bogey five at the 12th - and only had a one shot lead over Woods until he holed a 50 footer for birdie on the 16th to steady the ship, give himself a cushion and go on to claim victory at 11 under par 277.

There was no initial sign of any fireworks from Woods, who was required to birdie the ninth hole to turn in two-under for the outward journey. Once he chipped in for a birdie four on the 11th, though, it sparked a real charge.

Woods proceeded to string together a run of five successive birdies that moved him from the fringes to a genuine challenging position. On the 12th, he rolled in a 12-footer; on the 13th, he found the green in two and two-putted for another birdie; he put his approach to four feet on the 14th, and rolled in the putt, and then completed the sequence with a further birdie to move to nine-under on the 15th.

Although he failed to add another birdie, that run meant he came home in 31 strokes. "I just got into a rhythm and got it going," said Woods. "I could just pick a target and hit it." Woods shot a final round 65 for nine-under-par 279.

Pádraig Harrington, the defending champion, finished in third place, holing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th. Darren Clarke again struggled over the closing stretch, bogeying three of his last four holes for a 75.

TARGET WORLD CHALLENGE (Sherwood CC, California, USA) FINAL TOTALS (USA unless stated, par 72) 277 - D Love 70 72 63 72. 279 - T Woods 71 71 72, 65. 282 - P Harrington (Irl) 74 67 70 71. 284 - J Leonard 71 72 70 71, M Weir (Can) 75 68 69 72. 285 - KJ Choi (Kor) 72 71 65 77 286 - V Singh (Fij) 74 69 73 . 289 - R Allenby (Aus) 72 71 72 74. 290 - F Couples 73 72 69 76. 291 - N Price (Zim) 74 69 75 73, C DiMarco 74 68 72 77. 293 - S Micheel 76 69 73 75 295 - J Haas 76 72 75 72. 296 - B Curtis 78 74 72 72. 297 - K Perry 71 77 75 74. 299 - D Clarke (N Irl) 81 73 70 75.