Tiger Woods sent a loud warning that he’s still the man to beat at the US Open with a brilliant finish to win the Memorial tournament for a fourth time.
Woods fired a seven-under-par 65 on the tough Muirfield Village course to overhaul overnight leaders Mark Bettancourt and Jonathan Byrd and finish one shot ahead of second-placed Jim Furyk.
The world No.1 fired seven birdies, two bogeys and an eagle for the second victory of his comeback from knee surgery and first since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
He wasted no time making clear the extra significance of his 67th US tour title with the US Open at New York’s Bethpage Black course looming in less than two weeks.
“It was nice to play this well going into the US Open,” Woods said. “This is how you have to hit it in order to win US Opens.”
A birdie-birdie finish served notice that Woods is back on form after making his return from an eight-month layoff and ready to defend the US Open crown he won limping through a playoff last year.
“I knew it was coming around,” said Woods.
“I haven’t been as consistent as I wanted to be. That cost me tournaments. I was just glad to clean that up.”
“Some expectations had to be lowered when I first came back,” Woods said. “It was nice to get a win so early but it is nicer to get one now that I can hit more shots.”
It was a day to forget for Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy who started his final round a shot ahead of Woods and just two shots off the pace after a sizzling nine-under-par 63 on Saturday.
Ogilvy got off to a fine start with birdies at the first and seventh holes, but his round unravelled with a quadruple bogey eight on the 14th, followed by bogeys on the 15th and 18th to leave him with a disappointing three-over-par 75 and a share on 10th place.
Woods, a 14-time major champion, had prior titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001 at the Memorial, which is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, the boyhood idol of Woods who owns the all-time major title record of 18 that is Woods’ ultimate target.
Woods reached all 14 fairways off the tee, completing one of the strongest driving performances of his career. He missed only three in the first two days and his 18 fairways hit in a row is his longest such streak since 2003.
“The driving was nice this week,” he said. “It was nice to put it together.”
Starting the round four strokes off the pace, Woods birdied four of the first seven holes, including the second and par-3 fourth plus the par-5 fifth and seventh, before suffering a bogey at the par-3 eighth.
An amazing chip-in brought an eagle for the second day in a row at the par-5 11th put Woods among a pack of leaders and while his birdie at 15 was followed with a bogey at 16, his stellar finish won the day.
After rolling home a testy birdie putt at 17, Woods dropped his approach at the 18th hole just inches from the cup and tapped in for a birdie to conclude a stunning comeback triumph.
Furyk birdied the 18th to finish one back but Wilson and Byrd were the only other rivals within six shots.
Americans Davis Love, Matt Kuchar and Matt Bettencourt shared fifth on 282, one stroke ahead of countryman Stewart Cink and South Africa’s Ernie Els.
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