Woods completes thrilling comeback victory

The world number one,who had been sidelined for eight months following his previous Tour win at the U.S. Open in June,closed with a three-under-par 67 to match his biggest final-round comeback on the circuit.

In 2000,he overhauled a five-shot deficit after 54 holes to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Woods finally caught O8217;Hair with a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-four 15th and claimed the outright lead for the first time when his playing partner bogeyed 16 after hitting his approach into water.

Although Woods stumbled with a bogey at the par-three 17th,he calmly rolled in the 16-footer on the 18th green for a five-under total of 275.

8220;It feels really good,8221; the 33-year-old said in a greenside interview after celebrating his victory by backing away with a sweeping fist pump before embracing his caddie Steve Williams.

8220;It feels good to be back in contention again and to feel the rush and to have to deal with everything coming down the stretch. It8217;s been a while but it kind of felt good.8221;

O8217;Hair,bidding for a third PGA Tour title,had to settle for second place after closing with a 73 with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson a further two strokes back at two under after a 69.

BIRDIE OPPORTUNITIES

8220;I8217;ve got to look at the positive side of this,I8217;m playing great and the swing changes that I8217;m making are coming around,8221; O8217;Hair,26,told reporters. 8220;I didn8217;t give myself enough birdie opportunities out there today.8221;

Australian John Senden,helped by four successive birdies from the fourth,carded a 67 to share fourth place at one under with Americans Nick Watney 68,Pat Perez 69 and Scott Verplank 69.

The final round,which was delayed by an hour and 45 minutes due to the threat of lightning,was,however,an effective head-to-head between overnight leader O8217;Hair and Woods.

Clearly feeling the pressure of playing in the company of the world number one,O8217;Hair had his lead trimmed to two after a nervy outward nine of one-over 36.

Woods closed to within a stroke of the lead after O8217;Hair bogeyed the 10th and finally drew level by sinking the 26-footer at the par-four 15th,punching his right fist into the air a couple of times in restrained celebration.

O8217;Hair8217;s title bid appeared to end with a bogey at the par-four 16th where he wasted an ideal position off the tee by hitting his approach into water just short of the green.

Although Woods had been in trouble after his drive on 16 ended up in a poor lie in the right rough,he laid up in two before hitting an exquisite approach to three feet to save par.

A stroke in front,Woods immediately slipped back with a bogey at the 17th,when his tee shot ended up under the lip of the right greenside bunker,and he was unable to get up and down for par.

Just as he did last year,though,when he rolled in a 24-foot birdie putt on the final hole to secure victory by a shot,Woods delivered when it mattered most.

Jeev finishes tied 27th

The 16th hole bogey snapped an incredible string of par shots as Jeev Milkha Singh signed off with one-over 71 to finish tied 27th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando.

Jeev parred each of his first 15 holes before the par-four 16th caught him off guard,costing him a stroke. Jeev parred the next two to settle for a round of 71 and his aggregate of four-over 284 earned him a share of the 27th place besides USD 44,400.

Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra carded one-under 69 in the final round to total 280 and finish tied eighth in the USD 5.8 million event at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge.