It’s Reed again as Tiger falters

DORAL, Fla. - He wore black pants and a red shirt, his Sunday colors. He took a lead into the final round, quickly expanded it with a pair of birdies and then relied on his short game to keep everyone chasing him. He even played it safe off the 18th tee, caring more about the trophy than the final score.

That script for years belonged to Tiger Woods.

Patrick Reed followed it perfectly to win the Cadillac Championship, replacing Woods as the youngest winner of a World Golf Championship.

“The best player ever to live when I was growing up wore black pants, a red shirt,”Reed said after closing with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory at Doral. “I was growing up watching him. I always thought, ‘You know, it would be cool to wear black and red coming down on Sunday.

“Just happens to be that we both wear it on Sunday now.”

Only one of them stood out at the new Blue Monster. Even with Woods and his red shirt only three shots behind and in the group directly in front of him, the 23-year-old Reed stretched his lead to four shots at one point until making a pair of bogeys in the final hour. He held off Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson of Wales.

Woods, in his best chance this year to win a tournament, said his back flared up after an awkward shot out of the bunker on the sixth hole.He failed to make a birdie in the final round for the first time in his PGA Tour career, and his 78 was his worst Sunday score ever.

“Just let me get through this day, get some treatment and we’ll assess it as time goes on,” Woods said about his back. He withdrew from the Honda Classic after 13 holes of the final round last week because of back spasms.

Reed has three victories in 14 starts and should move to No. 20 in the world. He feels his ranking should be even better. Reed cited an amateur career that includes going 6-0 in matches to lead Augusta State to two NCAA titles, followed by three PGA Tour victories in seven months.

“I don’t see a lot of guys that have done that besides Tiger Woods and the legends of the game,” Reed said. “I believe in myself, especially with how hard I’ve worked. I’m one of the top five players in the world. I feel like I’ve proven myself.”

He joined some exclusive company. Since 1990, only Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia had three PGA Tour victories before turning 24.

Reed has had a share of the lead going into the final round of all three of his victories - the Wyndham Championship last August, the Humana Challenge in January and a World Golf Championship at Doral that featured the strongest field so far this year.

Woods raised more questions about his health - and his game - with the Masters just over a month away.

He beaned and bloodied a spectator on the opening hole and missed a 10-foot birdie putt. He beaned another spectator on No. 3, kicking the ball back into the fairway, only he followed that with a shot into the water and made bogey. Woods made two more bogeys over the next three holes and was an afterthought. He said the pain intensified after his bunker shot on the sixth.

Woods had his left foot in the sand and his right foot flexed against the lip of the bunker.

“That’s what set it off and then it was done after that,” he said. “Just see if I could actually manage … keep the spasms at bay.”PGA TOUR Hadley goes 21-under

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico - Chesson Hadley won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory, holding off Danny Lee by two strokes.

Making his 13th PGA Tour start, the 26-year old Hadley birdied the final two holes at Trump International for a 5-under 67. He’s the first rookie winner since Jordan Spieth in July in the John Deere Classic.

Hadley finished at 21-under 267 and earned $630,000.

Lee birdied three of the last four holes for a 68. Hadley won twice last year on the Web.com Tour, taking the Rex Hospital Open in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., and the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship. In Raleigh, the former Georgia Tech player began the final round five strokes behind Lee and closed with a 64 for a two-stroke victory.

John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot an even-par 72 and finished at 6 under, good enough for a tie for 49th place with four others.

WEB.COM TOUR Canadian wins by 1

SANTIAGO, Chile - Canada’s Adam Hadwin won the Chile Classic on Sunday for first Web.com Tour title, making birdie on the final two holes for a one-stroke victory over Australia’s Alistair Presnell.

Hadwin shot a 3-under 69 at Prince of Wales Country Club for a 16-under 272 total. He earned $117,000.

Presnell eagled the par-5 18th for a 68.

South Korea’s Sung Joon Park, Sweden’s Henrik Norlander and American Kyle Reifers tied for third at 13 under. Park shot a 66, Norlander had a 69, and Reifers a 71.

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

Park wins in China

HAIKOU, China - Inbee Park captured her first victory of the year in a battle between No. 1 and No. 2 in women’s golf at the World Ladies Championship.

Park closed with a 6-under 67 for a five-shot victory over Suzann Pettersen in a Ladies European Tour event.

Pettersen, who started the final round tied for the lead, closed with a 72. So Yeon Ryu had a 69 and finished alone in third.

Park, the LPGA Tour player of the year in 2013, had a one-shot lead through 10 holes until back-to-back birdies allowed her to seize control. She finished at 24-under 268.

Sports, Pages 13 on 03/10/2014

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