Two tournaments, two trophies for Tiger

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Two tournaments, two continents, two playoff victories.

Tiger Woods’ year is off to a perfect start.

Two shots behind with two holes to play, Woods drove the green on the 359-yard 17th hole to set up a birdie-birdie finish that got him into a playoff, where he defeated Ernie Els on the first extra hole Sunday to win the Dubai Desert Classic.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” said Woods, who hasn’t started a season with two victories since his record-setting year in 2000. “Two playoffs, too. Very stressful, but I was somehow able to come out on top. I was very fortunate today.”

It was similar to last week in San Diego, where Woods birdied the final hole to get into a playoff at the Buick Invitational and won with pars when his opponents made mistakes.

Els also birdied the last hole with a 6-foot putt. But on the par-5 18th hole in the playoff, he pulled his tee shot into the sandy grove of palms, and his approach came up about a yard short into the water. He took a drop and pitched 20 feet beyond the hole, missing his par putt.

Woods, who went just over the back of the green in the playoff, chipped to 6 feet and two-putted for par.

“I had a two-way miss going,” Woods said. “I could hit it right or left at any given time, and that’s not a whole lot of fun. Somehow I just hung in there with my short game and hit some very good shots on the back nine.”

Woods closed with a 3-under 69, finishing with a birdie from behind the 18th green in regulation to join Els at 19-under 269.

Els shot 5-under 67, but it was the third time he has lost in a playoff to Woods, and the seventh time the 36-year-old South African has finished second to Woods.