Bay Hill Winner Again

ORLANDO, Fla. - Tiger Woods had not felt such an adrenaline rush in nine months, especially when he stood over a 12-foot birdie putt Sunday at Bay Hill with only enough sunlight remaining for one last shot.

It made Woods forget that it had been nine months since he played under so much pressure.

And then he made golf remember the magic it had been missing.

With cameras flashing in the approaching darkness, Woods delivered another rock-star moment by making a birdie on the final hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot and match the largest comeback in his PGA Tour career.

"It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush," Woods said. "It's been awhile, but God, it felt good."

It sure looked that way.

Just like last year, when Woods made a 25-foot birdie on the final hole at Bay Hill to win by one, he crouched and backpedaled as the putt rolled toward the cup. But instead of slamming his cap to the ground, he gave a roundhouse fist pump and ran into the arms of caddie Steve Williams, who lifted him off the ground in celebration.

Welcome back, Tiger.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Tournament

Tiger Woods shot a first-round 68, on the Bay Hill coarse, to finish three shots off the lead after his first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

Woods, playing in his third tournament of the year following his return to action after knee surgery, shot four consecutive birdies on the back nine.

Woods, who went into the tournament having tied for ninth place at Doral in the WGC-CA Championship two weeks ago

World Golf Championship at Doral, Florida

With his best chance at winning a World Golf Championship title, Phil Mickelson broke into a cold sweat and couldn't stop shaking. And this was 18 hours before his tee time.

Once he got onto the Blue Monster, Mickelson looked better than ever.

Weakened and dehydrated by a stomach virus that sent him to the hospital on the eve of the final round, Mickelson closed with seven straight pars for a 3-under 69 to win the CA Championship after a dynamic duel at Doral against Nick Watney.

"It took a lot out of me," said Mickelson, who sipped on energy drinks throughout the round. "I haven't eaten much in three days. I fought hard. I've been playing some of my best golf, and I'm very excited to have finished it off."

With this win at the World Golf Championship, Mickelson now can set his sights on No. 1 in the world.

His second victory in his last three starts moved him to No. 2 in the world, closer than he has ever been to Tiger Woods. Depending on how Woods fares at Bay Hill, Mickelson could have a chance to replace him when he next plays at the Shell Houston Open.

"He's the greatest player of all time. I don't want to go there with the world ranking," Mickelson said. "What I'm excited about is I'm playing some of my best golf."

He finished at 19-under 269 and earned US$1.4 million, the biggest cheque of his career.

Golf, where did it start

The question of how it all began may be of pressing concern to some but to the Scot, it is sufficient to know that the game was born on the links land of eastern Scotland.

Here, the game has been nurtured for over five hundred years and from here, it has been raised to the great game played and loved by millions throughout the world.

So widespread was the game of "Gowf", as it was known in Scotland, that an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent the playing of the game on Sundays and thus preserve the skills of Archery.

Even this Act of Parliament could not control the playing of Golf.

The citizens of Aberdeen, St. Andrews and Leith on Scotland's East Coast were the principal "gowfing" miscreants and it was no coincidence that rolling sandy links land was commonplace here.

On this very terrain, a game that started with a cleek and a ball took on a form that started an evolutionary process that continues to this day.