The third time was charming.
The Memorial might be known as Jack Nicklaus’ tournament, but it’s quickly becoming the annual Tiger Woods show.
Woods ran away with the event again Sunday for the third consecutive year, firing a final-round 6-under-par 66. It was by far the best round of the day and politely ran him away from everyone on the once-promising leaderboard, finishing seven shots ahead of Paul Azinger and Sergio Garcia.
Woods is the first player to win the same event three consecutive years since Tom Watson won the Colonial from 1978-80.
It also was Woods’ fifth consecutive win in Ohio, counting the 1999 and 2000 NEC Invitational in Akron.
“Ohio’s been pretty good to me these last three years,” Woods said. “This course sets up pretty well for me. I can use my driver because it rains every year.”
After playing the first 10 holes of the tournament at 2 over par, Woods finished the remaining 62 holes in 19 under, including 14 under on the par 5s with three eagles. In the last 226 holes he has played at Muirfield, Woods is an incredible 51 under par.
If those numbers aren’t dominating enough, just look at his play in relation to the leaders. Azinger, who led Woods by a shot at 12 under after both finished their third round, mishit shots all day on his way to a 74.
Stuart Appleby, who opened the fourth round at 9 under, had a round that featured a chip shot in the water, a whiff and a left-handed swing in which he hit the ball sideways.
Garcia and Robert Allenby, both of whom have a history of playing well on Sundays and also were at 9 under, spun their wheels in the perpetual fields of mud on the rain-soaked course.
Woods left them all in the dust, starting on the par-5 fifth hole. Azinger hit his second shot into the lake in front of the green. Woods responded by drilling a 2-iron from 249 yards to 6 feet. He made the putt for eagle and Azinger bogeyed for a three-shot swing, giving Woods the lead by two strokes.
“I’ve been hitting my long irons beautifully all week,” Woods said. “I hit that one up into the wind perfectly.”
And by the time he finished the seventh hole, thanks to another birdie and another Azinger bogey at No. 6, he was four shots ahead and the rout was on.
“I hate that we didn’t have a closer fight,” Azinger said. “He looked so bored. I told him I was sorry I didn’t give [him] a better game.”
Woods birdied the par-3 12th by draining an 18-footer, hit one from the trees to 3 feet on the 14th to set up a birdie and then knocked it on the par-5 15th and two-putted for his final birdie of the day.
“It feels good heading into the Open,” said Woods, who will skip this week’s St. Jude Classic in Memphis to ready himself for the U.S. Open in two weeks at Southern Hills in Tulsa. “To be able to put my name on this trophy three times is special.”
Also: Sammy Rachels got his first Senior PGA Tour victory at the BellSouth Senior Classic in Nashville. . . . Thomas Levet of France won the British Masters in a four-man playoff in Woburn, England. . . . Jason Hill won the Buy.com Tour’s Steamtown Classic in Scranton, Pa. . . . Colleen Walker won the 36-hole women’s Senior Hy-Vee Classic in Johnston, Iowa.
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