Woods Adds to Legend

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. —  Everybody knows that Tiger Woods’ internal flame burns bright for major titles, but apparently he also has the biggest fireplace in sunny Central Florida.

Good thing.

When he got back to his bachelor pad in Orlando on Monday night, he needed to rearrange a mantelpiece that already includes trophies from five major titles, plus a replica of the U.S. Amateur cup that he claimed three times.

Though display space is filling up fast, the sound of chain saws and claw hammers will not echo.

“I have enough room,” Woods said, grinning.

The trophy count continued Monday when Woods claimed another significant bauble at TPC at Sawgrass, holding off a charge from Vijay Singh to claim the so-called “fifth major,” the Players Championship, by one shot at 14 under par.

“I guess this means my slump’s over,” Woods said.

Guess this means his mantle as the game’s best is restored too. With his second consecutive victory, Woods grabbed the one significant championship that had eluded him with a workmanlike two-under 34 on the back nine of the rain-delayed event.

In typical fashion, every challenge was met, each threat answered and all tweaks of the nose followed by a haymaker. Singh kept applying pressure, but Woods was characteristically impervious.

When Singh sank a three-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole to move into a brief tie with Woods at 13 under, Woods drained an eight-footer 60 seconds later on No. 12, reclaiming a one-shot lead.

An hour later, Singh shook off the potentially paralyzing effect of a triple bogey by knocking in a 15-foot putt from the shaggy fringe of the 16th green with the nose of his putter, closing to within two shots. Singh then knocked a nine-iron to five feet on the 17th and made the birdie putt as Woods watched from the 16th green, just across the lake.

Woods had a 40-footer for an eagle at the 16th.

“It was a triple breaker,” Woods said. “It would have been nice to be able to top Vijay: ‘Vijay makes a birdie and loses a shot.’ ”

Close enough. The putt didn’t quite fall--it lipped out--but Singh soon toppled. Woods flirted with disaster when his nine-iron leaked within a foot of falling into the water hazard on the island green at No. 17, but saved par with a six-footer and played for a safe bogey on the 18th. Pieced together with his front nine on Sunday, Woods shot 68.

While other early contenders such as Jerry Kelly and Scott Hoch failed to mount a threat, Singh jumped to the fore with the same solid play he has displayed all year. He has recorded 28 rounds at par or better this year, but he made one crushing mistake Monday and it cost him the championship.

Moments after his early birdie exchange with Woods, Singh yanked his driver on the par-four 14th into the lateral water hazard. Because the ball was pulled well left of the intended line, he had to drop in the tee box, which was tantamount to a stroke-and-distance penalty.

Worse, he three-putted from the fringe when he reached the green and made a triple-bogey seven, falling four shots back. Even the eagle-birdie binge was too little, though he made it interesting.

“One bad swing,” Singh said of the splashdown. “That’s all it took for me today. Fourteen was the killer blow.”

The victory gives Woods every serious piece of championship brass in contemporary golf.

What’s left? When Woods was asked the question, he seemed momentarily confused. As usual, he recovered soon enough.

“What haven’t I won?” he said, pausing. “Well, I think I’ve had a pretty good career. I think it’s going to be fun to try to win the same tournaments again.”

With 26 victories at 25, this much has been nailed down: He’ll have to call his carpenter eventually.

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THE FINISH

Final scores for the Players Championship at Ponte Vedra, Fla.--Par 72

274 (-14) $1,080,000

Tiger Woods 72-69-66-67

275 (-13) 648,000

Vijay Singh 67-70-70-68

276 (-12) 408,000

Bernhard Langer 73-68-68-67

278 (-10) 288,000

Jerry Kelly 69-66-70-73