By Aroonim Bhuyan, IANS
Dubai : World’s number one golfer Tiger Woods said Sunday, he was happy at winning both the tournaments he has played so far this year.
“I am happy about just winning two tournaments,” Woods, who won the $2.5-million Dubai Desert Classic here Sunday, told reporters.
He had won the season’s opening Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in the US last month coming from a five-week break.
Woods, who was trailing South Africa’s Ernie Els by five holes at the end of the third round Saturday, produced a superb 65 in the final round to clinch this European Tour event for the second time.
“I got off to as good a start as you possibly could. I was 3-under through four, but I dropped shots at 6 and 9 and all of a sudden I was from being in a mix to all of a sudden out of the mix,” he said.
Talking about his putt in the 18th hole in round four on the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club here, he said, “After watching Damien (McGrane) hit tow pretty good shots, I just happened to come up a little short and roll back in the water.
“By my pitch shot, I knew how quick it was. If I land the ball on the green, it’s probably going to go in water and protect a little bit there.”
He said that he kept telling himself that to just roll he ball down.
“But I had the same putt and just kept telling myself, just roll the ball down there and just don’t leave yourself a second putt but just don’t let it run by the hole. I hit it and it felt good when it went down there.
“It straightened out at the end, I thought I was going to lose it low and it straightened out and went right in the middle.”
Asked how it felt to beat Europe’s best in this European Tour event, he said, “You know, last week, I played pretty well (in the Buick Invitational) and this week after… I didn’t tell you guys this, but I broke my driver Wednesday and had to use my backup, which I didn’t like very much.
“It was fine on Thursday because the wind didn’t blow, but as soon the wind started blowing, I had a hard time controlling the driver because it kept spinning too much.”
He said that he was happy at just getting a win somehow.
“So just happy just to get out a win somehow. As I said today, I was on a periphery most of the day, and somehow got into it late in the back nine,” the American said.
On his part, Els expressed disappointed at the result holding on to the lead overnight.
“A little disappointing,” said Els, who finished in third place after Woods and Germany’s Martin Kaymer.
With Sunday’s victory, Woods, 32, became only the second player after Els (1994, 2002 and 2005) to record multiple Dubai Desert Classic titles.
It was his 82nd victory as a professional and his 34th European International Schedule victory.