Golf Results - 12 March 2013

In the United States, 14-time major winner Tiger Woods sent a clear message of his return to form when he won the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday.

After fine weather ensured eighteen holes of consistent golf during the final round, in which Woods unleashed his precision short game on the greens at Doral, the former world number one finished the tournament with a two stroke lead over compatriot Steve Stricker.

Woods lead the tournament after the third round and despite an early charge by Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell the American was fully in control from the first tee shot onward. McDowell’s charge evaporated early in the final round, leaving Woods and Stricker ample room to manoeuvre.

For Stricker, who had coached Woods on his putting game before the tournament, a second place finish would have to suffice as he carded a final score of 271 against Woods’ 269.

As the US Masters tournament approaches, Woods has sent a clear message to his competitors as he sets his sights on his first major win since 2008. Golf fans can expect an action-packed season as the former world number one regains his full powers on the course.

The European Tour was in recess last week as players from the continent travelled to the United States for the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The Tour resumes next week when its Indian leg begins with the Avantha Masters.

In Women’s golf, the Norwegian Suzann Pettersen mounted a late charge for victory on Sunday at the Mission Hills World Ladies Championships in China.

After carding a final round score of 66, or six-under-par, Pettersen’s bogey-free round on Sunday secured her a victory over South Korea’s Inbee Park. The Korean had started the final round with a string of birdies on the front nine, but a bogey after the turn gave Pettersen the opportunity to win, proving that a golf tournament is never over until the last putt has been sunk.

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