Woods Buries 25-Foot Putt To Win Bay Hill

ORLANDO, FlA. —Tiger Woods made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole yesterday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot, extending his PGA Tour winning streak to five and keeping intact a perfect season in golf.

In his biggest challenge since this streak began seven months ago, Woods outlasted 45-year-old Bart Bryant and won with a birdie putt on the final hole for the first time in seven years. He turned and slammed his cap to the ground, letting out a roar to celebrate his 64th career victory, tying Ben Hogan at no. 3 on the PGA Tour list.

"I turned a mediocre tournament into a good one," Woods said.

Palmer stood behind the 18th green with thousands of sunbaked fans who have come to expect nothing less from Woods. The King smiled and nodded his head, a royal approval of a captivating conclusion at Bay Hill.

Woods closed with a 6-under 66 and won Bay Hill for the fifth time in his career, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win four tournaments at least five times. The others are the Buick Invitational, Bridgestone Invitational, and the CA Championship, where he plays next week at Doral as the three-time defending champion.

No wonder some are starting to question whether he will lose again.

Bryant felt hopeless, no different from so many other victims of Woods. He hit all the right shots on the back nine to keep pressure on the world's no. 1 player, and was sitting in the scoring trailer when he heard the loudest cheer of the afternoon.