The tense, final hour of The Players Championship on Sunday saw Tiger Woods emerge victorious. Woods not only won the tournament at Sawgrass, but he also won the war of words with Sergio Garcia.
Both players reached the final two holes of the course in a tie for first-place. Woods finished 2-under 70; Garcia had a late-game collapse. Garcia couldn't find dry land on the 17th tee shot, and after hitting two balls into the water, finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey 7. Water again played a role in Garcia's downfall on the next hole, where he splashed another ball and made a double bogey, according to the Associated Press.
"That hole has been good to me for the most part," Garcia said after the match. "Today, it wasn't. That's the way it is. That's the kind of hole it is. You've got to love it for what it is."
All that stood now in the way of Woods and a first-place finish was Swedish rookie David Lingmerth. A missed birdie putt by the Swede sealed Woods' second-ever victory at Sawgrass.
Woods' 78th career win on the PGA Tour was largely overshadowed by the exchange of words between Garcia and him throughout the weekend. It began on Saturday when Garcia complained to the media that Woods disrupted his shot from par-5 second fairway, referring to when Woods withdrew a club from his bag and caused nearby fans to cheer.
Garcia felt Woods should have been paying better attention.
"Not real surprising that he's complaining about something," Woods said after learning of the comments.
"At least I'm true to myself," Garcia later replied. "I know what I'm doing, and he can do whatever he wants."
Garcia added on Sunday that Woods isn't the nicest guy and, "We don't enjoy each other's company. You don't need to be a rocket engineer to figure that out."
Woods' win afforded him the last word. The two shook hands but didn't speak. When reporters asked Garcia if he regretted anything he said.
"It sounds like I was the bad guy here," he said. "I was the victim."
"We just go out there and play," Woods said after winning. "I had an opportunity to win the golf tournament when I was tied for the lead today, and I thought I handled the situation well and really played well today when I really needed to."
TPC Sawgrass marked Woods' fourth win this year. Woods can add a fifth win next month at the U.S. Open.
