Woods ends drought with dramatic victory

It’s over. Well, unofficially, at least.

Tiger Woods’ well-publicized, two-year victory drought ended Sunday at the Chevron World Challenge, where he birdied the final two holes to overtake Zach Johnson. While it’s not recognized as an official PGA Tour event, the Chevron does award world ranking points – and Woods vaulted to No. 21 after his triumph.

The small but elite field – its 18 players included 11 among the world top 25, not counting Woods – battled high and gusty winds for three days at Sherwood CC in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Woods proved up to the test early on, taking three-stroke lead on 8-under par at the halfway point. He struggled to a 73 on Saturday, however, and trailed Johnson by a shot entering the final round.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, finished his third round with an eagle on the par-4 18^th, and battled toe to toe with Woods as Sunday wore on. A birdie on 16 gave Johnson a one-shot edge heading to the closing holes.

When Johnson just missed a birdie on the par-3 17^th, it opened the door for Woods. The 14-time major champion ran home his 15-footer to send the pair deadlocked to 18. Both hit perfect drives, and Johnson’s approach settled 10 feet right of the cup. Woods followed with a soaring 9-iron that landed above the hole, then spun back to 6 feet.

Johnson’s birdie attempt drifted weakly left, and the stage belonged to Woods. His putt gutted the cup, eliciting a familiar fist-punch from Woods and a roar from the crowd.

“When the pressure was on the last two holes, I hit three of the best shots I hit all week,” Woods said. “To go birdie-birdie is as good as it gets.”