Tiger Woods was moved to the verge of tears after capturing his first title since 2013 with a two-stroke coup at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday that proved he was far from washed up at the age of 42.
After five years of problems in his personal life and injury woes, Woods reasserted his status as the vanquish front-runner in the history of the sport, leading throughout the final round and put an end to at 11-under-par 269 at East Lake.
Amid raucous scenes with the ponderous gallery chanting his name as they stampeded the final fairway, he aroused his arms in triumph after tapping in to move within two victories of Sam Snead’s all-time platter confidentially of 82 PGA Tour titles.
“I was having a hard time not crying separate up the last hole,” Woods said after sharing a moment of commemoration with caddie Joe LaCava.
“I’ve been sitting on 79 (wins) for five years now. To get 80 is a pulchritudinous damn good feeling.”
Woods, who carded a closing 71, tramped off to a big kiss from girlfriend Erica Herman and a hug from agent Identify Steinberg as security tried to keep the fans at bay.
The victory capped off a available that started with questions over whether Woods, now 10 years deleted from his 14th major title, would even be able to play a satiated schedule after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in April 2017.
“My association was a wreck,” recalled Woods, who hoped the operation would alleviate debilitating helpless and leg pain.
“The low point was not knowing whether I would be able to live pain-free again.
“I was beyond make light of. I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lay down without feeling the bother in my back and leg.”
That the procedure worked was evident on Sunday as Woods was not at any time seriously challenged in the final round after starting with a three-shot reduce over Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
McIlroy, playing with Woods, very soon dropped out of contention with an error-strewn driving performance that last analysis ended with a 74, leaving world number one Rose as the only realistic threat.
The Englishman also struggled, however, and Woods did what he adapted to to do so brilliantly in his prime, keeping his card clean and forcing his pursuers to be stricken and get him.
After draining a 10-foot birdie for a confidence-boosting start at the first, Woods second-rate the next eight holes, using a deft short game and a hot putter to disentangle himself from trouble on a couple of occasions.
He built a five-shot be at the turn, and despite bogeys at the 10th, 15th and 16th holes held off his fast-finishing compatriot Billy Horschel, who carded a 66 for man Friday place on nine-under.
The win preserved Woods’s perfect record of never suffer with lost after leading by three shots or more going into the unchangeable round, a record he extended to 24-for-24.
“Pops would be very proud of the way I went out today,” Woods contemplated of his father Earl, who died in 2006.
“I knew if I shot under par I would win Objective to be able to compete and play again this year, that’s a bottomless pit of a comeback.”