With a final-round, 2-under-par 69, Woods beat Van Pelt by two shots and became the first to win three times on the PGA Tour this season. It is the 12th season in which Woods has won at least three times. Woods has won three of his last seven starts and his 30-month winless drought on Tour after a late-night car accident in November 2009 is becoming a distant memory.
"Pretty much everything," Woods said when asked which parts of his TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons have improved this year. "I remember there was a time when people were saying I could never win again. That was, I think, what, six months ago?
"Well, here we are."
Woods, who went 41 holes without a bogey until he made 6 on the par-5 16th, took the outright lead by sinking a 6-foot par putt on the 17th as Van Pelt, who was trying to win for the second time in 310 starts on the Tour, made bogey. Woods made par on the 18th to finish at 8 under. Van Pelt shot 71. Adam Scott (67) finished third.
Woods, despite the win, remained at No. 4 in the world golf rankings behind No. 1 Luke Donald, No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Lee Westwood. But Van Pelt, after playing the final 36 holes with Woods, said he knows who No. 1 is.
"No offense to any of those other guys, but I think (Woods) is the only guy to win three tournaments on Tour this year, right?" Van Pelt said. "On three different golf courses. And he was leading the U.S. Open after two days. So I'd say that he's playing the best TaylorMade R11S driver in the world right now."
Woods next plays this week in the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia. After an off week, he will resume his march toward Nicklaus' major record on July 19 in the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in England.
So, is he back? Has he returned to his pre-scandal form and is once again the best player in the world after going winless on the PGA Tour for 30 months, or does he have to win a major championship? And was his switch to coach Sean Foley the right move?
"Well, a lot of media people didn't think I could win again, and I had to deal with those questions for quite a bit," Woods said. "It was just a matter of time. I could see the pieces coming together. Sean and I were working, and we see what was coming, and we can see the consistency, and it's just a matter of time. Just stay the course, and if you look at my ball-striking so far this year, it's gotten more and more consistent.
"Give me a little time, and I feel like this is what I can do."
Van Pelt stayed with Woods shot-for-shot the final two rounds — until the final three holes. Van Pelt, who didn't buckle under the pressure or in the heat of the day, bogeyed 16, 17 and 18 Sunday. Still, while disappointed, he liked how he played Taylormade RocketBallz Tour Driver and will pack some confidence in his luggage as he heads home for two weeks knowing he went toe-to-toe with the best.
"He's an amazing player. That's why you travel 30 weeks a year, why you get up in the morning and you make the sacrifices that you do, is to have the opportunity to play the best player in the world in the final round with a chance to win a tournament," Van Pelt said. "It seemed like he kept his rhythm for two days, and I think whenever you're working on something in your golf swing, that's the hardest thing to mesh, is to mesh the physical with the rhythm. He's always had beautiful rhythm, but it's hard for any player when you're trying to change something to stay in that rhythm.
"I think that just goes to show you he's getting way more comfortable with what he's doing golf-swing wise. That's because his rhythm stayed the same for 36 holes under the heat. I think he's got to be pleased with that."
Not only did Woods conquer the rugged Blue Course, where only 14 players finished under par, but the players dealt with a week of heat that saw temperatures near 100 and heat indexes soar by the century mark. As well, he dealt with an eerie and quiet third round to move within one shot of the lead after 54 holes. Following a massive storm that ripped through the Washington, D.C., metro area Friday night, leaving in its wake power outages, property damage and a great number of uprooted trees, fans were not allowed on the course Saturday due to safety concerns.
Officials cleaned up the course outside the ropes in time for play on Saturday, and Woods and the field played Callaway Diablo Octane Driver in front of a handful of media, security and essential volunteers.
Woods shot a third-round 67 on Saturday in front of tens of people, rather than the usual thousands.
On Sunday, the thousands were back, and they were loud.
"What an incredible week," said Woods, the host of the AT&T National and a winner for the second straight time it has come to Congressional. "Everybody, thank you for being patient with us. Yesterday was a silent day. I think everyone saved up for today. What an atmosphere to play in front of."
As for being back, Woods said it's up to the news media to determine, with or without a major championship victory since his late-night car crash in November 2009. All he'll do is keep on working.
"I think that for me I just go out there and I give
Left Handed Callaway RAZR X HL Irons everything I have each and every day I play," Woods said. "Some days it's better than others. We are all human. I try everything I possibly can and give everything I possibly can, and sometimes I don't quite hit the ball well or hit the ball well and not putt well and do everything right and not chip well. Welcome to golf.
