The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 10 August 2009 /

It wasn't a complex system, piling into Woods at Bridgestone, but it's paid off again for Steve.

The memories of a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing week's holiday in Cornwall were almost erased by the journey home on Saturday. The sat-nav had estimated less than five hours but hadn't taken into account the number of idiots that would manage to tip their caravans over! When I eventually got home, after nearly ten hours, I was quite happy to just slump in front of the TV with a beer and watch the golf.

My mood improved considerably as the evening wore on though, thanks to Tiger Woods. He made his customary move through the field and, as well having a little top up at [6.0] for this week, I set about mopping up the last of the [3.5] about him for next week's USPGA. I was feeling very confident until Padraig Harrington finished with a flurry of lengthy putts to stretch his lead to three in what had developed into a match.

At the halfway stage of the Reno-Tahoe Open I still had two players in with a squeak but both Marc Leishman and Parker McLachlin played out very poor third rounds and their chances were as good as gone.

Yesterday's final round at Bridgestone started just how I'd hoped it would, with Tiger Woods blasting off with an eagle at the 2nd and birdies at the 4th and 5th to put him in front. When he also birdied the 9th, he made the turn with a lead of two and traded as short as [1.15], it was surely going to be plain sailing from then on?

A birdie for Pod on the 11th narrowed the gap to one though, and when Woods bogeyed both the 13th and 14th holes, remarkably Harrington was back in front and Woods had drifted right out to [3.0].

It was hard to work out quite what had happened to Woods - an uncharacteristic lapse of concentration maybe? As for Harrington, well he looked about to reap rewards for a stoic and patient round under extreme pressure. But then the pair played the par five 16th hole...

Woods, in the fairway after two blows, hit one of the best shots of the year, a sublime eight iron that landed within inches of the hole for a certain birdie, while Harrington over-hit his approach shot into the rough, before he hit one of the worst shots of the year! Pod appeared to be rushing a little as he hit his 4th shot into the water, and he looked in a bit of a daze as he hacked his way to an eight to hand my man the title. The Irishman had gone from champ to chump in one hole.

Woods went on to birdie the last, just for good measure, subsequently winning by a comfortable four shots for his 7th Bridgestone title and his 70th tournament win and I wasn't regretting backing him for next week. On this evidence he's going to take some beating.

With a four shot lead at the Reno-Tahoe Open, with just a round to go, John Rollins' price hardened all day and when he teed off he was trading at around [1.40]. He's far from the safest of conveyances with a lead though and I was tempted to take him on but it was a late start and I was pretty tired after Saturday's epic journey so I knew I wouldn't be able to stay up to keep tabs on him, so instead I had a very modest bet on the player in 2nd place, Ryan Palmer, at [7.6].

It proved to be a poor move, Palmer shot one over and Rollins' level par round was enough to see him win by three.

The final Major of 2009 kicks off on Thursday - the USPGA from Hazeltine National Golf Club, Minnesota, which I'll preview in full on Wednesday. I'll also have a few articles in the next few days looking at some of the Specials markets.

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