Golf Asia — January 2018

16 GOLF ASIA

GOLFING

TEE BOX

As Tiger Woods fires final-round 68

Fowler Wins

Hero World Challenge

IMAGES © MIKE EHRMANN/GETTY IMAGES

T

iger Woods capped his return

to competition with a fine four-

under par 68 on Sunday as red-

hot Rickie Fowler won the Hero World

Challenge in the Bahamas. Former

world number one Woods, who once

wondered if nagging back trouble

would spell the end of his career, had

an eagle and six birdies to finish 72

holes on eight-under par 280. That

never put him within striking distance

of Fowler, who produced a remarkable

course-record 61 on the par-72 Albany

Golf Club layout.

Fowler birdied the first seven holes,

and eight in total on the front nine.

After birdies at 11, 13 and 15, he was

eyeing golf's magic number of 59.

No more birdies were forthcoming,

however, and Fowler settled for a

course-record 61 and an 18-under

total of 270. Fowler finished four shots

in front of fellow American Charley

Hoffman, the overnight leader by five

strokes who carded a final-round 72.

"I knew I needed to get off to a quick

start today to at least show Charley I

was there," said Fowler, who started

the day seven shots adrift. "We took

care of that and kept it rolling from