O'Meara Wins Match Play Title

Mark O'Meara continued his dream year by adding the Cisco World Match Play Championship to his Masters and Open Championships. To do so, O'Meara defeated Tiger Woods, the World No. 1 and a close friend, 1 up at Wentworth.

The denouement to the classic 36-hole match came fittingly at the last when O'Meara holed from off the green with Woods eight feet away and hoping to go into extra holes.

"It was an incredible way to end the tournament," O'Meara said. "I wanted to make it because I knew Tiger would hole his."

At 41, O'Meara is the oldest player to win the event, in which only two of the 19 champions have not also won a major championship. He remains third in the world rankings, behind Woods and fellow American David Duval.

"To win the World Match Play after everything else that has happened to me this year in winning the Masters and the Open really makes this a dream year for Mark O'Meara. I am proud of myself that I can pull through when the pressure is on. Tiger never gave up and kept forcing me to make it happen," he said.

O'Meara had been three-down at lunch but responded with an estimated 64 in the afternoon. He birdied the first in the afternoon, added three more to go one-up at the seventh but the match was squared three times, twice by Woods and once by O'Meara, before the latter took the decisive lead.

"The ebb and flow of matchplay is a beautiful thing and that is what makes this such a great format," Woods said. "I am very happy for Mark," Woods said"I have always said he has not got enough credit for being the great player he is. He has had a great year and is finally getting his just due."

The pair often play matches at their home at Isleworth near Orlando, Florida - something that ironically enough has made O'Meara, late in his career, into a better player. "The matches are usually as close as this," said Woods. "But this year Mark has been taking the cash out of my pockets and he has done it again today."

When Woods declined to concede a two and a half foot putt, O'Meara realised this was not their usual friendly match. "Tiger didn't say very much. He wanted to win." After a bogey from O'Meara at the first in the morning -- he would make only one more all day- - Woods chipped in at the second and birdied the third to go three-up.

The match turned as soon as they resumed in what was now warm afternoon sunshine. "If he thought he had a big lead, then he didn't know who he was playing," O'Meara said. "The birdie at the first was of the utmost importance." Woods bogeyed the third and back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh gave O'Meara the lead. At the sixth he holed from outside his opponent, an annoying ploy, and then he hit a 7-iron to a foot at the next.

Woods responded with a 6-iron to a foot at the ninth and also birdied the 10th. "With three par-5s to come, I was thinking who's got the advantage now," O'Meara admitted. But Woods hooked his drive at the first of the them, the 12th, and though he managed to conjure up a birdie, O'Meara's hit a superb 2-iron from 218 yards which struck the flagstick and was conceded for an eagle.

At the short 14th, O'Meara holed from nine feet and saw Woods miss from four as the youngster's putting failed him at the vital time. O'Meara lost the 15th due to a poor drive and appeared to have done the same at the next. He could only find a greenside bunker, came out to 15 feet but holed the putt for a par.

Woods was 12 feet away in two but was too aggressive with his putt, and then pushed the return from four feet. "I'd like to have given it to him, but it was just too far," O'Meara said. "At that point I like my chances of at least going to extra holes."

A poor drive at the 17th from Woods left him struggling to make the birdie he knew he needed to keep the match alive but holed from ten feet to do just that. Both found bunkers at the last and had to lay up. Woods, from the light rough, hit his pitch to eight feet but O'Meara, from the fairway, saw his spin back off the green.

He had to negotiated the collar and a double break but the 18-footer but the putt slipped in to give O'Meara the victory. The winner turned to the runner-up and said: "I am sorry someone has to lose a match like that."