Tiger shoots 64, cruises to title in Grand Slam of Golf

POIPU BEACH, Hawaii – Tiger Woods returned to his old form and dominance in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

Woods, who battled a stomach virus in the opening round, won the exclusive 36-hole event for the record sixth time Wednesday, closing with an 8-under 64 for a seven-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson.

Woods pocketed $400,000 and finished with a 13-under 131 total.

Mickelson, the PGA champion, shot a 68 to earn $250,000. U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell shot a 70 to finish 12 strokes back, collecting $200,000. Vijay Singh was another stroke behind after a 69. He took home $150,000.

Woods was never seriously threatened. He opened with a 67 for a three-stroke lead over Mickelson, and quickly widened the gap to five with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3.

He finished with two eagles, five birdies and a bogey in relatively calm conditions on the oceanside 7,123-yard Poipu Bay Golf Course. He was bogey-free on the back nine for the second day.

On the 573-yard sixth hole, Woods split the fairway with a 344-yard drive and hit a 5-iron, to set up a 55-foot, uphill putt that curled to the left and dropped into the cup. The gallery roared as Woods sheepishly grinned.

On the par-5 14th, Woods drove 293 yards into the wind and blasted a 3-wood from 244 yards out onto the green.

“Oh baby, how about this shot I just hit,” he said, watching the towering shot. “That was pretty cool.”

He then holed a 12-foot eagle putt.

Woods also barely missed a long eagle putt on the final hole.

Woods showed no signs of a virus that caused him to vomit during the opening round and miss Monday’s pro-am, or the ankle he twisted while successfully defending his Dunlop Phoenix title last weekend in Japan.

Woods won six times on tour this year, including the Masters and British Open, and finished atop the money list with more than $10 million. He last qualified for Kauai in 2002, when he earned his fifth straight Grand Slam title by beating Davis Love III and Justin Leonard by 14 strokes.

Mickelson, who had a 13-under 59 to win the Grand Slam by five strokes over Singh last year, birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 8 to cut Woods’ lead to three strokes at the turn.

But Mickelson’s tee shot landed in the pond on the 193-yard 11th, and Woods birdied the hole to take a six-shot advantage, virtually sealing the victory.

Campbell had a shaky start, but managed three birdies on his bogey-free back nine to finish the tournament under par.

Singh, selected as an alternate in the event based on his performance in this year’s majors, birdied the first two holes of the day, but couldn’t make a move, parring the next 10 holes.