Tiger Woods ushered in the week of the Ryder Cup with his first victory in five years at the Tour Championship to put the seal on his truly incredible comeback.
The 42-year-old won the 80th PGA Tour title of his remarkable career – but the first for 1,877 days. Woods held his arms aloft to spark rapturous scenes among a record crowd.
‘I just loved it out there, the fight and the grind but I was trying hard not to cry at one point,’ he said. ‘At the beginning of the year this was a tall order but I proved I could progress and put it together.’
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Tiger Woods’ incredible comeback was already one of the best sports stories of the year, and it was rendered complete.
On a sublime afternoon at East Lake, the 42-year-old put the finishing touches to his recovery from the depths with a victory at the Tour Championship.
With world No 1 Justin Rose playing in front and Rory McIlroy – the most decorated player the game has seen since Tiger – by his side, he gleefully accepted this perfect scenario to mark his return to the winner’s circle for the first time in five years.
On the most perfect day imaginable to usher in the week of the Ryder Cup, Woods was joined in the winner’s circle by world number one Justin Rose, who survived a nerve-wracking finale to claim the $10 million bonus for winning the four-tournament FedEx Cup.