Tiger has the answers
DUBLIN, Ohio — No one ever doubted Tiger Woods' heart or his head, although there were some lingering whispers about his rebuilt knee.
Now even those have evaporated.
Adding to his lore with birdies on three of the last four holes — not to mention a highlight-reel chip-in for eagle a few holes earlier — Woods climbed out of a four-way tie with a 7-under 65 to win the Memorial Tournament Sunday. It was a record fourth time he had won the event created by his idol and measuring stick, Jack Nicklaus.
"Tiger Woods is always Tiger Woods," said runner-up Jim Furyk, who finished alone in second, a shot back. "He can't be 100 percent every week. But I'm sure he answered a lot of questions today."
Woods had undergone knee surgery last June, a day after wincing his way to a victory at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Then came eight months of rest, rehab and, eventually, practice before he came back to competitive golf in late February. Even though he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and was in contention in several other tournaments, some had wondered whether at 33 years old he or his reconstructed knee would ever be the same Tiger.
"For most people, that would be unbelievable," Nicklaus said of Woods' record since coming back. "For him, that's not his best. But it's still pretty darn good."
Woods looked at the win on Sunday as confirmation of what he thought all along.
"I knew I could do this," Woods said after collecting his 67th career victory with a score of 12-under 276. "It's just a matter of give me a little bit of time. I just came off a pretty extended break, and I was close to winning, but the game wasn't quite there when I really needed it on Sunday. I rectified that."
Thousands of spectators followed every shot of the drama as Woods climbed the leaderboard at Muirfield Village.
Asked if Tiger was indeed back, Jonathan Byrd, who shot a 72 and ended up tied for third with Mark Wilson (73) at 280, broke into a wide grin.
"It just depends on what you consider the word 'back' means," he said. "I don't know where he went."
