Price beats Woods in S. Africa golf
SUN CITY, South Africa— Nick Price held off a charge by Tiger Woods to win his third Million Dollar Challenge in a thrilling five-hole playoff Sunday.
The 41-year-old Price birdied the 409-yard, par-4 17th for his third win at the tournament. Woods, whose ball was just off the edge, two-putted the hole.
“Price called Woods, who at 22 is old enough to be his son, a “phenomenal player.”
“To go 77 holes of a championship and it comes down to one putt is about as good as it gets,” Price said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do next year for an encore.”
Woods, plagued by bad breaks on his putts throughout the tournament, fought his way back after an opening round par-72. He started the day four strokes back but charged hard on the back nine, with an 18-foot putt to birdie on 17 and another birdie on the 462-yard 18th hole.
Price, leading the field at 15 under, was up a stroke at the final hole but he two-putted for par.
Woods, his ball about 20 feet away on the fringe, then used a sand wedge to sink another 18-footer. He pumped his trademark uppercut into the air, and went into the sudden-death playoff.
“I had no choice. I had to make that shot,” Woods said. “I knew I hit it on the line. I wasn’t sure I had the pace or not. … As it kept rolling, kept rolling, about 3 feet from the hole, it looked like it had a really good chance and then it went right in center.”
“The two birdies he made on 17 and 18 speak volumes for the guy,” Price said. “Obviously to have beaten something like Tiger, it makes it a little special. He’s a phenomenon,” he said. “I’ve got a great future behind me. He’s going to win plenty.”
It was the first appearance by Woods in the tournament, and in Africa for that matter. He was greeted as a hero by South Africa’s majority black population and mobbed at each of the holes.
Woods, who earned $250,000, was disappointed with the loss but had a sense of the achievement for the birdies on 17 and 18.
Woods missed something else because of the playoff — his plane for Australia, where he will play in the President’s Cup this week with Jack Nicklaus as captain.
“Jack won’t be very happy,” Woods joked.
Price, the defending champion and course record-holder with a 24-under in 1993, started the round four strokes back, after leading for the first two rounds. But the Zimbabwean, who treats this course like home, surged back Sunday with eight birdies, including six straight, to win the $1 million first prize.
Only David Frost has won the Million Dollar Challenge three times.
Justin Leonard finished third, a stroke behind, with a 3-under 69 at the 7,597-yard Gary Player Country Club course and won $200,000.
European sensation Lee Westwood, who had grabbed the lead Saturday from Price, shot his worst round of the tournament, a 73, and finished with a combined 276, even with two-time major winner Mark O’Meara, whose final round was a 68.
Jim Furyk tied the course record of 64 set four years ago by Nick Faldo, but finished in the bottom half along with Tom Watson, Colin Montgomerie, David Duval and Jesper Parnevik — who still picked up checks for $100,000.
Associated Press
