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Nicklaus called it a shot for the ages.
"I've seen a lot of shots in golf," he said during the presentation ceremony. "I don't think I've ever seen a better one."
Woods sounded as if even he didn't expect it to fall.
"The shot was obviously difficult, but it wouldn't have been so bad if I had a good lie," Woods said. "The lie was just a little marginal where it brought the water into play. That's the reason I took such a big cut at it. I went for it, I pulled it off and for it to land as soft as it did was kind of a surprise."
Still, he was only tied. While he was parring the 17th hole, Sabbatini bogeyed the 16th.
Woods striped a 3 wood off the tee at the testy, uphill, par-4 closing hole. Then he carved an iron to the back of the green and watched it follow the contour of the green back to almost pin high. He slid the ball in on the high side for a 9-under 279.
Andres Romero also had a 67 to pull into a tie with Sabbatini (72) for second, two shots back. Daniel Summerhays shot a 69 and was tied for fourth at 283 with 54-hole leader Spencer Levin. Levin, just as he had in losing a six-stroke lead heading into the final round at Phoenix, closed with a disappointing 75.
Woods hadn't won a full-field event since 2009 before taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March. He had missed a cut and finished tied for 40th in his only two tournaments after that, including the Masters. The whispers about his professional demise were growing louder.
But then came the shot at 16, with Woods orchestrating the cheers with several of his trademark fist pumps.
After he had accepted the trophy from Nicklaus and the $1.1 million that went with it, and after he had moved to No. 4 in the world rankings, Woods was asked if at 36 he still has enough to play at the same level of excellence from his earlier days.
"Uh-huh," he said.
What he had just done did all the speaking for him.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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