Woods rolls a seven

LA JOLLA —  Is there anything out there that can trip up Tiger Woods? Nothing in the last six months anyway, at least on the PGA Tour, once again zoned as Tiger’s personal playground, just as it has been since July, when he started a winning streak at the British Open that reached seven Sunday afternoon with his fifth victory at the Buick Invitational.

Woods took the lead with six holes to go at Torrey Pines, wound up with a six-under-par 66, nudged Charles Howell III by two shots, finished with a 15-under score of 273 and, as is his habit, dug deeper into the history books.

Woods’ seven-tournament PGA Tour winning streak is the longest in 62 years, since Byron Nelson won 11 straight in 1945.

Woods had won six straight before, in 1999-2000, and Ben Hogan won six straight in 1948.

Howell said seven was obviously a lucky number, just not for him, only Woods.

“To win seven in a row ... I’d cut my arm off to win another one,” he said.

In addition to the subject of winning, Woods is also an expert in golf history, and said that rolling a seven is something to remember.

“There’s only one person that’s ahead of you,” he said. “You know, he’s one of the greatest legends in the history of the game. To be in company like that, with Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Hogan up there as well, it’s pretty special.”

Starting the day two shots off the lead, Woods was still two shots behind Andrew Buckle until Buckle missed the green at the 12th hole, then missed a five-footer for bogey and wound up with a double-bogey. Woods countered with a tap-in birdie at the 13th, took the lead by one shot and never looked back.

Sometime soon, they might rename this place Tiger Pines. Woods has won here four times in the last five years, and Sunday’s triumph was his 55th PGA Tour victory, with Arnold Palmer’s total of 62 next on the list to pass.

Next for Woods is a European Tour event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18 hours away in actual flight time. And after that, well, Woods wasn’t saying. The Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club is usually on his PGA Tour list, but Woods seemed to hint that he’s not going to be there in three weeks.

“As far as when I’m going to play again, I don’t know,” Woods said. “Going to go to Dubai, play over there, come back and see how I feel.”

Howell shot a 33 on the back nine and had a chance to catch Woods at the par-five 18th when he stood over an eagle putt from 52 feet, but it stopped five feet from the hole. Woods, who drove into the same fairway bunker at the 18th for the third day in a row, had laid up and hit a wedge with his third shot, but the wind had shifted and the ball spun back into the second cut of the fringe in front of the green and rolled into a small hole.

It could have been trouble for anyone, but not this time. Woods hit a sand wedge to within three feet, made his par and closed out another victory.

It was almost routine, even if it didn’t appear to be headed in that direction. Buckle, the third-round co-leader with fellow rookie Brandt Snedeker, reached 15-under par when he birdied the 10th hole, two shots better than Woods and Jeff Quinney and five shots ahead of Howell.

When Buckle made his double-bogey at the 12th, Quinney made a similar miscue when he double-bogeyed the 14th, and both of them faded. Snedeker birdied the last hole for a 71 and finished third at 12-under 276.

Woods was steadfast on the most timely occasions. He announced his entry into the race when he made an eagle at the 609-yard, par-five ninth, where he blasted a three-wood from 283 yards and reached the green. From 26 feet away, Woods rolled in the putt, punctuated the event with a ritualistic fist pump, and caught Quinney at 13 under.

Howell, playing alongside Woods, finished second for the second time this year. He could only shake his head.

“Well, it ain’t easy beating that guy,” he said.

Woods missed the green at the par-three 11th, but his full-swing flop shot landed close and he saved par. He managed par at the 14th and kept his one-shot lead even though his second shot landed in a bunker. Woods drove into the left rough at the 15th and also found a greenside bunker but saved par again.

Buckle fell out of contention when he drove into the ice plants on the 15th and made bogey, then Woods separated himself from everyone when he hit a nine-iron from 146 yards and stopped it three feet from the pin on No. 17.

As soon as Woods rolled in the putt for a birdie, he had a two-shot lead with one hole to go, and it was all but over.

It’s the fifth time in his 11 full years on the PGA Tour that Woods has started the year with a victory. And his closing 66 was the low round of the week on the punishing, 7,469-yard South Course. He had one bogey the last 36 holes.

Woods said there is a certain comfort factor he feels down the stretch, an opportunity to win in the balance, because it’s far from unfamiliar territory for him.

“I can only say I’ve done it before, and know that I’ve done it,” he said. “Some guys say, ‘I’ve done it before,’ but they have never done it on Sunday in a tournament before. Well, I’ve done it on Sunday in a major championship, so I know I can pull these shots off and I just keep reminding myself of these things.

“It’s like what Jack [Nicklaus] had always said. Winning breeds winning, and the more you win, the more you understand how to do it, and you do it in different ways. I’ve done it with great ball-striking, I’ve done it with lousy ball-striking. I’ve done it with great putting and so-so putting, and sometimes I’ve done it with my short game. It just breeds more and more confidence when you’re put in that situation again.”

And that situation came one more time for Woods. He’s done it before, and Sunday at Torrey Pines, he did it again.

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thomas.bonk@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Hot stuff

Longest winning streaks on

the PGA Tour and most career tour victories

(* active):

CONSECUTIVE PGA TOUR WINS:

*--* No. Player, Year 11 BYRON NELSON, 1945 7 TIGER WOODS, 2006-07* 6 BEN HOGAN, 1948 6 TIGER WOODS, 1999-2000

*--*

MOST PGA TOUR WINS:

*--* No. Player 82 SAM SNEAD 73 JACK NICKLAUS 64 BEN HOGAN 62 ARNOLD PALMER 55 TIGER WOODS* 52 BYRON NELSON

*--*

**

On the leaderboard

Since missing the cut at the U.S. Open last June, Tiger Woods has finished no worse than second in 12 stroke-play events, a streak that includes victories in his last seven PGA Tour tournaments:

*--* Date Tournament Course Site Result July 6-9, 2006 Cialis Western Cog Hill Lemont, T-2* Open Ill. July 20-23 British Open Royal Liverpool Hoylake, 1* Eng Aug. 3-6 Buick Open Warwick Hills Grand 1* Blanc, Mich. Aug. 17-20 PGA Championship Medinah Medinah, 1* Ill. Aug. 24-27 Bridgestone Firestone Akron, 1* Invitational Ohio Sept. 1-4 Deutsche Bk TPC of Boston Norton, 1* Champ. Mass. Sept. 28-Oct. 1 American Exp The Grove Hertfords 1* Champ. hire, Eng Nov. 9-12 HSBC Champions Sheshan Shanghai 2 Nov. 16-19 Dunlop Phoenix Phoenix Miyazaki, 2 Japan Nov. 21-22 PGA Grand Slam Poipu Bay Poipu, 1 Hawaii Dec. 14-17 Target World Sherwood Thousand 1 Challenge Oaks Jan. 25-28, 2007 Buick Torrey Pines La Jolla 1* Invitational

*--*

* PGA Tour Event