Mahan’s second win of the season vaulted him to No. 4 in the world rankings, where he’s now the top American. It also boosted his odds for this week’s Masters Tournament; Ladbrokes lists Mahan at 25/1, behind only five players – Tiger Woods (9/2), Rory McIlroy (6/1), Phil Mickelson (12/1), Luke Donald (16/1) and Lee Westwood (20/1).

Sunday dawned with Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion, as the Houston favorite. The South African began the day two shots clear of the field, but unraveled with double-bogeys on holes 5 and 8 followed by another pair of bogeys. Oosthuizen righted the ship with three birdies down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to catch Mahan.

In fact, Carl Pettersson proved Mahan’s toughest competitor. The pair were tied on 16-under through nine holes, but a Pettersson bogey on No. 10 handed Mahan a lead he refused to relinquish. Pettersson finished second alone, with Oosthuizen third after a 75.

Mahan’s fifth career victory came against a field full of world-class players, including pre-tourney favorites Westwood (11/1), Mickelson (12/1), Steve Stricker (18/1) and Keegan Bradley (18/1). Mickelson and Bradley tied fourth, while Westwood (T21) and Stricker (T36) were off their games.

Not so for Mahan, who appears to be coming into his own at age 29. “It shows me what I can do,” he said of the win and his lofty new ranking, “shows me what I’m capable of.”

The year’s first major gets underway Thursday, April 5, at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

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Driving and putting better than he has in years while displaying trademark iron accuracy, Woods easily outpaced runner-up Graeme McDowell with a four-round total of 13-under par. No surprise that Woods’ latest breakthrough came at Orlando’s Bay Hill Club, where he’s now won seven times. The victory was Woods 72^nd as a pro on the PGA Tour.

While Woods beat a strong field, the tourney was notably missing the world’s top five players, including Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy. Woods entered as the favorite and left all competitors in his dust.

Just like old times.

Woods claimed the 54-hole lead with rounds of 69-65-71 and never relinquished it on Sunday. McDowell’s first-hole double-bogey gave Woods a cushion on the tough, wind-swept course, and Woods rarely faltered coming home. His closing 70 was one of the day’s best scores.

England’s Ian Poulter finished solo third, followed by a large group in fourth including Ryan Moore, Ernie Els and Bubba Watson.

With the Masters less than two weeks away, Woods’ victory propelled him past McIlroy into the role of favorite at 4/1 odds. McIlroy (5/1), Phil Mickelson (10/1), Donald (14/1) and Lee Westwood (16/1) are next in line.

Most importantly for Woods, the win closed a chapter in which he battled personal issues, injuries and swing changes instigated by new coach Sean Foley. “I’ve been close for a number of tournaments now,” he said, “and it was just a matter of staying the course and staying patient, keeping working on fine-tuning what we’re doing. And here we are.”

Woods will not be on hand for this week’s Shell Houston Open, where Mickelson is set to defend his title in the last event before the Masters.

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Clearly not content to let wunderkind Rory McIlroy go unchallenged as the world’s No. 1 golfer, Luke Donald reclaimed his crown with a playoff victory in the Transitions Championship. Donald defeated Jim Furyk, Robert Garrigus and Sang Moon-Bae with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death, ending McIlroy’s two-week run at the top.

Donald reached the playoff with a final-round 66, tying the others on -13 for the week. A 7-iron to 6 feet set up the winning putt, which Donald calmly rolled home for his fifth victory in his last 31 starts worldwide.

The oddsmakers certainly weren’t surprised by Donald’s win; he went off as the favorite on 10/1. Justin Rose, who took the WGC-Cadillac Championship the week prior, tied for 29^th after entering on 14/1.

Having been overshadowed by McIlroy’s rise, Donald clearly enjoyed the moment at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Florida. “I don’t think many people thought I could do that all over again this year,” Donald said of a 2011 season when he was the top money winner in both the U.S. and Europe. “Hopefully I can prove them wrong.”

While Donald outlasted the pack, it was Ernie Els’ meltdown that paved the way. Els led on -14 through 15 holes, then missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16^th. A bogey-bogey finish, including another missed 4-footer at the 18^th, sealed his fate.

Donald, who earned $990,000, will sit out this week’s PGA Tour stop, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods is expected to resume playing after withdrawing from the WGC-Cadillac in the final round, when his Achilles tendon flared up.

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Of course, Rose would beg to differ. The 31-year-old Englishman captured perhaps the biggest win of his career, a one-shot triumph over Bubba Watson. But even Rose was surprised that a final-round 70 and 16-under-par total were good enough, considering the scoring onslaught of the first three days.

An even bigger story on Sunday was Tiger Woods’ pullout after his tee shot on the 12^th hole. Woods, who changed shoes at the turn and winced noticeably after his final swing, issued a statement saying his left Achilles was the culprit. The tendon, which Woods injured during last year’s Masters, tightened up during his pre-round warmup and, Woods said, “felt progressively worse throughout the day.”

Woods’ status for upcoming events, including the Masters (April 5-8), was unclear as of Monday morning. Despite the uncertainty, oddsmaker Ladbrokes continued to list Woods at 6/1 to win his fifth green jacket.

Overshadowed or not, Rose basked in the victory, his fourth on the PGA Tour and first in a World Golf Championships event. Rose was coming off a fifth-place tie at the Honda Classic and entered the WGC-Cadillac listed at 50/1 odds. Rory McIlroy, the Honda winner and freshly crowned World No. 1, was a 6/1 choice with Woods (13/2), Phil Mickelson (12/1) and Lee Westwood (14/1) next in line.

Rose began the final day three back of Watson, who blistered the TPC Blue Monster at Doral Resort with rounds of 70-62-67 to open the tourney. But Bubba’s early stumbles – three consecutive bogeys (holes 3-5) and another on No. 9 – allowed Rose and others back in it. Rose played solidly in the steady winds buffeting the course, reaching 17-under with a birdie on No. 14.

McIlroy made a spirited Sunday charge after starting the day eight shots behind. Coming off a Saturday 65, McIlroy climbed quickly with four birdies in his first 10 holes. He then jarred a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 12^th and was suddenly just a shot off the lead. But bogeys on 14 and 18, with a birdie on 16 in between, did him in.

Watson, left for dead after an outward 39, staged a mini-rally of his own with birdies on 11 and 12. He stalled with a bogey on 13, but had a chance to tie Rose after a sensational approach from the trees left him 9 feet from birdie on 18. The big left-hander’s putt slid past, however, and Rose was the winner.

Grasping the event’s elegant Wedgwood trophy, Rose said, “For this little beauty to show up on my mantle place so early in the season, definitely a fantastic feeling. It sets up a very exciting year.”

Watson and McIroy finished solo second and third, respectively, while Charl Schwartzel and Peter Hanson tied fourth.

This week: The PGA Tour moves to Tampa, Florida, for the Transitions Championship, where Gary Woodland defends. The European Tour resumes play after a month-long hiatus, visiting Spain for the Open de Andalucia. Paul Lawrie returns looking to repeat his 2011 victory in the event.

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McIlroy won the Honda Classic at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with a 12-under-par total, two shots better than Tiger Woods – whose Sunday 62 marked a career-best final round – and journeyman Tom Gillis. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland now stands alone atop the rankings, supplanting England’s Luke Donald.

The victory certainly came as no surprise. McIlroy was listed as an 8/1 choice entering the Honda, having won three times worldwide in the past nine months and finishing among the top 5 in 10 of his last 11 starts. Lee Westwood went off at 10/1, with Woods – playing this event for the first time as a professional — at 11/1.

McIlroy led by two over Gillis entering the final round at the Champions Course, best known for a brutal three-hole stretch called the “Bear Trap.” Under windy conditions, McIlroy was unable to separate himself from the pack; he missed seven greens on the day and made just two birdies. However, McIlroy’s short game proved up to the task, as he suffered just one bogey and made a pair of sensational sand saves on the back nine for a 1-under 69.

For the week, McIlroy got up-and-down for par on 21 of 25 attempts.

Woods, meanwhile, languished nine shots behind to begin the fourth round. He turned on the jets beginning with an eagle on the par-5 third hole, adding birdies on 5, 7, 11 and 17. On 18, Woods stuck a 5-iron within 8 feet of the hole and drilled the eagle putt, finishing off an 8-under 62 to reach -10 for the week.

McIlroy, playing five holes behind Woods, heard the ensuing roar and interpreted it correctly as a Woods eagle. He then knocked in a birdie putt of his own for a two-shot cushion, then gutted out five pars for the win.

While low scores were tough to come by, Westwood nearly matched Woods with a 7-under-par 63 to finish fourth on -8. Charl Schwartzel and Justin Rose tied fifth on -7.

The McIlroy-Woods duel certainly caught the fancy of bookmakers with the Masters fast approaching. Ladbrokes now has the pair as 5/1 favorites for the year’s first major, followed by Phil Mickelson (8/1) and Westwood (14/1).

For now, though, the spotlight belongs to the new No. 1.

“I always felt like when I played my best, I would be hard to beat,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I’ve always been a pretty confident guy. But I think I’ve got a lot more belief in myself now when I’m going down the stretch. I definitely don’t doubt myself as much as I used to.”

This week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship features McIlroy, Woods and a host of the game’s best players taking on the TPC Blue Monster at Doral Resort in Miami. The tourney also serves as this week’s European Tour event.

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After current world No. 1 Luke Donald lost to Ernie Els in the opening round of the 64-man event, the door was open for McIlroy or Lee Westwood – ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, entering the week – to claim the top spot. Fittingly, McIlroy and Westwood met in the semifinal round, with the young Northern Irishman beating his English elder 3 and 1.

That positioned McIlroy to earn the No. 1 ranking by beating Mahan, who defeated countryman Mark Wilson to reach the final match. Mahan proved too hot to handle in the Arizona sun, however, while McIlroy couldn’t feed off his triumph over Westwood. All square through five holes, Mahan forged a 4 up lead after 10 as McIlroy struggled. McIlroy cut the lead to 2 up with birdies on 11 and 14, but would get no closer.

The victory was Mahan’s fourth as a pro and his second in the WGC series; his most recent win came at the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Mahan entered the Match Play as the No. 6 seed in the Ben Hogan Bracket with a 10/1 shot at winning.

McIlroy, seeded first in the Gary Player Bracket, started the week as a 3/1 favorite while Westwood went off at 5/1. Tiger Woods (7/2) won his opening match, but fell to Nick Watney in round two.

At 20/1, Wilson carried the longest odds of the final four. He finished third by defeating Westwood, 1 up, in the consolation match.

Despite the hubbub surrounding the McIlroy-Westwood bout, the week belonged to Mahan. The 29-year-old led the field in birdies (35), playing beautifully from tee to green while holing miles of putts with a new Ping putter.

He also played the final with a small chip on his shoulder. “Deep down, you wanted to postpone that crowning of the No. 1 player in the world for Rory,” said Mahan, who nonetheless believes McIlroy will “be No. 1 eventually.”

For his part, McIlroy admitted his morning joust with Westwood may have left him drained. “No disrespect to the other guys in the semifinals,” he said, “but… to me it was like my final in a way.”

Mahan earned $1.4 million and jumped to No. 9 in the world ranking. He also marked himself as a solid pick in this year’s major championships, beginning with the Masters in April. Mahan is currently listed at 40/1 by Ladbrokes.

The PGA Tour crosses the country for this week’s star-studded Honda Classic in Florida. Tiger Woods (10/1), who lives nearby, is playing the event for the first time. He’s joined by McIlroy (7/1) and Westwood (12/1) in the field.

No European Tour event is scheduled for this week, with the WGC-Cadillac Championship, also in Florida, serving as the next official tourney.

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Haas, who won the 2011 Tour Championship thanks to an amazing shot from a greenside pond, drained the Northern Trust winner on the second hole of sudden death at fabled Riviera CC in Los Angeles, Calif.. The victory was Haas’ fourth on the PGA Tour and earned him $1.188 million.

Haas also made a fair chunk of change for those who bet him to win. He went off at 40/1, same as Bradley. Mickelson, fresh off a resounding victory at Pebble Beach, entered as the favorite at 9/1 odds.

The tourney seemed to be Haas’ alone when he finished on 7-under par; Mickelson and Bradley each trailed by a stroke with the difficult 18^th to play. But Mickelson holed a 25-foot birdie putt, with the attending roar shaking all of LA. Bradley followed by calmly pouring in a 12-foot birdie of his own.

The trio parred 18 to start sudden death before Haas’ heroics ended it on the tiny, par-4 10^th.

Sergio Garcia (25/1) vaulted into a fourth-place tie on -5 with a closing 64. He was matched by Dustin Johnson (20/1), Jarrod Lyle (200/1) and Jimmy Walker (80/1).

The PGA and European tours converge in Arizona this week for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, pitting the top 64 players in head-to-head play. Mickelson is skipping the event, leaving favorite status to Rory McIlroy (11/1), Tiger Woods (13/1), Luke Donald (15/1) and Lee Westwood (16/1). (Odds according to SkyBet.)

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Playing alongside Woods, Mickelson routed his one-time nemesis – and the rest of the field – with a stunning 8-under-par 64 at storied Pebble Beach, winning the event for the fourth time. It was Mickelson’s 40^th career victory on the PGA Tour, making him the ninth player all-time to reach that mark.

Mickelson entered the event as a 20/1 pick, with a best finish of T26 in three 2012 starts. Woods, as he often is, was a strong favorite at 5/1, with Dustin Johnson trailing at 18/1.

For the record, Mickelson finished 16-under to win by two over Charlie Wi, who began the day six clear of Mickelson and three up on the field. Wi four-putted the first hole for double-bogey and finished with an even-par 72.

But this was all about Mickelson and Woods. Mickelson began the day -9, two behind Woods, but things soon changed. Mickelson eagled the par-5 sixth to get -4 for the round; Woods birdied six, then suffered three straight bogeys as his putting went haywire. Woods missed a number of short putts Sunday, including one from just over 2 feet. He shot 75 and tied for 15^th.

In his last outing, Woods lost a duel with unheralded Robert Rock at the Abu Dhabi HSBC. Meanwhile, Sunday marked the fifth consecutive time, and eighth in the last 12, Mickelson has bettered Woods’ score when the pair played side by side.

The performance certainly bolstered Mickelson’s standing among bookmakers. Ladbrokes installed him as a 9/1 favorite for this week’s Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles, where Luke Donald (14/1), Dustin Johnson (20/1), Sergio Garcia (25/1) and other stars are scheduled to compete.

Woods remains favored at April’s Masters Tournament at 4/1, according to Ladbrokes. At 10/1, Mickelson, a three-time champion, checks in just behind Rory McIlroy (6/1).

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Stanley began Sunday’s final round eight shots off the pace set by Spencer Levin, who was six clear of the field. While Levin struggled to a messy 75 (4-over par), Stanley cruised to a steady 65 and 15-under total. Levin and Ben Crane had their chances on the closing holes, but neither could cash in. Stanley drained a testy 4-footer to par the 72^nd hole, finishing one ahead of Crane and two up on Levin.

It was a stunning turnaround for Stanley. The week prior, he led by three teeing off on the 72^nd hole at the Farmers Insurance Open, then made triple-bogey eight to fall into a playoff with Brandt Snedeker. Snedeker won on the second hole of sudden death.

“You go from a very low point to a high point,” Stanley, 24, said after his Phoenix triumph. “I’m not sure I expected to maybe recover this quickly. I think the biggest challenge was seeing if I could put last week behind me. I think I did.” Stanley earned $1,098,000 and tops the Tour’s money list.

Levin, seeking his first Tour victory, suffered his own Sunday meltdown. The final blow came at the par-5 15^th, where a shot into the water led to a double-bogey 7.

The Tour returns to California this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where Tiger Woods makes his 2012 U.S. debut.

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Stanley, a second-year pro from Washington state, nursed a seven-shot lead early in the fourth round and led by four as he played the par-5 finisher. After a solid drive and lay-up, he wedged onto the green, only to watch the ball spin back off the putting surface and into a pond. Stanley’s next attempt – his fifth shot after a penalty – found safety, but he three-putted from 45 feet for a triple-bogey eight.

Snedeker joined Stanley in the playoff after posting a final-round 67 for a 16-under total. Stanley got a measure of revenge with a birdie on No. 18, the first extra hole. Snedeker matched his four, however, and the pair proceeded to the par-3 16^th. While Stanley hit the green, Snedeker sent a 5-iron too far. Rather than plunging into a nearby canyon, however, the ball bounced off a TV tower. Snedeker made par from there, then won when Stanley three-putted yet again.

“You never want to see anybody go through that,” Snedeker said of Stanley’s travails. “But he’s an unbelievably talented player, and the sky’s the limit for him.”

Snedeker earned $1,080,000 for the victory, the third of his career. John Rollins took solo third, two shots out of the playoff, while Bill Haas and Cameron Tringale tied fourth.

The Tour heads to Arizona for this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, where Mark Wilson is the defending champ.

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