Tiger outlasts fog to win Buick (and poor Howell)

	San Diego Charger Tiger Woods didn't play pretty golf Sunday at Torrey Pines, but he gutted out a final-round 68 that was the best score of any of the leaders to win his third Buick Invitational. Woods won by three over Tom Lehman, Luke Donald and Charles Howell III.
	Tiger Woods was excited with the way he handled the greens at Torrey Piones. (Photo: AP)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Tiger Woods won't get any style points for winning the Buick Invitational.

Usually an intimidating presence on the back nine, he was the guy having to scramble to make pars just to keep pace with Tom Lehman. Woods had two chances to remove all the suspense at Torrey Pines, and he responded by missing a 6-foot birdie putt at No. 17, and whiffing on a 2-iron approach to the 18th.

All that mattered in the fading sunlight Sunday was putting his hands on the trophy.

``A great win,'' Woods said after a 4-under 68 on the South course at Torrey Pines, giving him a three-shot victory over Lehman, Luke Donald and hard-luck Charles Howell III. ``It was a battle out there.''

The only thing that looked vaguely familiar was Woods smiling wide on the 18th green, hugging his caddie and posing with an oversized check -- $864,000 that put him atop the PGA Tour money list.

Everything else was as bizarre as the fog that seeped quickly across Torrey Pines and reduced visibility so much that the Buick Invitational nearly had its first Monday finish in the 53-year history.

How strange was it?

Woods figured he would need a 32 on the back nine to win. He shot 35 and won by three.

He hit a shot so badly that it actually turned out to be good. With a one-shot lead on the par-5 18th and Lehman already having laid up, Woods tried to hit a 2-iron from 240 yards over the pond to the right side of the green.

``I absolutely whiffed it,'' Woods said.

Lucky him.

He fanned it so much to the right that it found a narrow strip of fairway just right of the pond. Lehman needed a birdie to have any chance of a playoff, but instead hit his sand wedge short. He was lucky it hung up on the hill instead of going into the water.

Woods then played a pitch above the hole, hopeful it would spin back down toward the cup. It didn't, leaving him a slippery 18-footer. He wanted to die the ball into the cup, but rapped it too hard. But the putt was on the right line, and it dove into the cup for a birdie that ended an odd tournament.

Lehman summed it up best.

``He whipped the field playing lousy,'' Lehman said. ``I give him a lot of credit.''

Woods finished at 16-under 272, his first come-from-behind victory in the final round since the 2001 NEC Invitational, and his first stroke-play title on the PGA Tour since the 2003 American Express Championship. His only victory last year was the Match Play Championship.

Even so, Woods needed some help.

First to his defense were those crazy golfing gods, who conspired against Howell. He was at 14 under when his sand wedge from 95 yards into the 18th green was perfect.

Too perfect, it turns out.

The ball landed in the bottom of the cup, ricocheted out and went into the pond, turning an eagle into a bogey. Howell took off his cap and stared in disbelief.

``I knew I hit the shot perfect,'' Howell said after his 72. ``And then to hit the hole and go into the water, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Obviously, it's a crazy game.''

Donald was a model of consistency, giving himself a birdie putt on every hole through No. 13 and building a one-shot lead. He had control of the tournament until two bad swings. The first one was a 6-iron that went over the 14th green and into a hazard, leading to double bogey. Then he pulled his tee shot on No. 17 into the bushes and had to scramble for a bogey, leaving him at 73 and three shots behind.

The final gift came from Lehman.

He was trying to become the first active Ryder Cup captain since Jack Nicklaus (1986 Masters) to win on tour. He played 32 holes on Sunday, and had no complaints about the first 30.

But from the middle of the 17th fairway, with an 8-iron in his hand and tied for Woods at 15 under, he caught a plugged lie in the bunker. His shot hit the flag, but that only slowed it enough to leave him a 12-footer, and Lehman missed. Then he botched the sand wedge on No. 18, running his record to 0-7 with at least a share of the 54-hole lead, dating to the 1996 Tour Championship.

``I'm ticked I didn't win,'' Lehman said after his 73.

Even Woods realized in victory that it's a crazy game.

``I hit it great at Mercedes and lost. I didn't hit it good here and won,'' Woods said. ``It comes down to making putting. I hit it close enough this week. I had some opportunities to make putts, and I did.''

Vijay Singh bogeyed three of his first seven holes and shot 75, his highest score since he shot 76 to win the PGA Championship. He tied for 24th, the first time out of the top 10 since he replaced Woods at No. 1 in September.

Phil Mickelson soared to a 78 in the third round and followed with a 71, leaving him 15 shots behind.

Woods lost seven pounds while battling the flu, and said he might not return until the Match Play Championship next month just up the road at La Costa, where he is the two-time defending champion.

Match Play is known as the most fickle tournament on the PGA Tour. The Buick Invitational stated its case Sunday, even with Woods as the winner.