Exasperated by his poor putting, Tiger Woods headed home after
one of those rare weeks in which he did not win a tournament.
He finished two strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson in third
place Sunday, unable to make a successful title defense at the
Dubai Desert Classic before a gallery that included Roger Federer
and Michael Schumacher.
Woods can take consolation in knowing his streak of seven
straight victories on the PGA Tour is still alive, but he knows
there's work ahead.
"That's one of the worst putting weeks I've had in a long time,"
said Woods, who shot a 3-under-par 69 to finish at 17-under 271.
"I'm going to go home and just kind of figure it out. Hopefully get
my putting organized before I compete again."
Stenson (68) began the day two shots behind Ernie Els (71) at
Emirates Golf Club. But Stenson, a Swede who lives in Dubai, had
five birdies to finish at 269. Els was a shot back, and Woods
shared third with Niclas Fasth (68).
On a day when sand kept kicking up, Woods vied for the lead
despite bogeying the first, 10th and 11th holes. On the 11th, his
chip dribbled into a sand trap. He tossed his club in frustration
after another bogey.
"I was trying to hit a soft little chip-and-run and just muffed
it right into the bunker," he said.
On the 13th, Woods barely missed a 30-foot eagle putt, and Woods
fell to his knees in dismay. The American tapped in for a birdie,
then strolled over to greet Federer.
On the 15th, Woods chipped in from 35 feet for birdie and
appeared within striking distance. On the next hole, he hit his
second shot from the fairway to within 5 feet, but he missed the
birdie putt.
"It's frustrating because normally I don't really putt well on
poor greens, like I did last week," Woods said, referring to the
Buick Invitational. "And I come over here to the best greens we've
seen in a long time and I miss a bunch."
Stenson has lived in Dubai for three years and is a member of
Emirates Golf Club.
"It's just unbelievable to win in your home tournament," he
said. "It's always nice to beat Tiger. And to play four rounds with
Ernie and to beat him by one shot coming down the stretch, that's
also satisfying."
Strong wind got the sand blowing, making conditions
difficult.
"It was brutal," Woods said. "I got sandblasted."
Els started the day in front. He narrowly missed a series of
putts that cost him the lead and finished with three bogeys.
"I really got out of sorts on the greens and had a couple of bad
swings," said Els, a three-time winner of the Desert Classic.
Stenson said the blustery weather was strange for Dubai. On the
ninth hole, his drive to the green got blown onto the roof of a
spectators' pavilion. The referee forced the Swede to make a
precarious climb to the roof to identify his ball before allowing
him a penalty-free drop. Stenson said he scraped his ribs making
the climb.
"I got a little upset that I had to go up there," he said.
His victory came down to the par-5 18th, with Stenson a stroke
ahead of Els. The South African hit a 60-foot chip shot from the
rear of the green that just missed being an eagle. Stenson then hit
a 5-foot birdie, and Els followed with a birdie to finish a stroke
behind.
"I thought I was perfect," Els said. "But it came up a little
short."
England's Ross Fisher (71) finished fifth at 16 under after
leading the first two days. Fisher once fetched practice range
balls for Woods and was awed to be paired with him.
"For 15 holes I was toe-to-toe with him," Fisher said. "I almost
had to pinch myself to believe I was about six or so shots ahead of
the world No. 1, which was totally unbelievable."
(China Daily via AP February 5, 2007)
