With a dramatic putt, Woods stays perfect

Tiger Woods made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Fla., by one shot, extending his PGA Tour winning streak to five and keeping intact a perfect season in golf.

In his biggest challenge since this streak began seven months ago, Woods outlasted 45-year-old Bart Bryant and won with a birdie putt on the final hole for the first time in seven years. He turned and slammed his cap to the ground, letting out a roar to celebrate his 64th career victory, tying Ben Hogan at No. 3 on the PGA Tour list.

“I turned a mediocre tournament into a good one,” Woods said.

Palmer stood behind the 18th green with thousands of sun-baked fans who have come to expect nothing less from Woods. The King smiled and nodded his head, a royal approval of a captivating conclusion at Bay Hill.

Woods closed with a 4-under 66 and won Bay Hill for the fifth time in his career, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win four tournaments at least five times. The others are the Buick Invitational, Bridgestone Invitational and the CA Championship, where he plays next week at Doral as the three-time defending champion.

No wonder some are starting to question whether he will lose again.

“That’s why he’s Tiger Woods,” Bryant said. “He has an incredible way of pulling off the shot or the putt when he needs to. He’s done it before. He’ll do it again.”

Not since Bay Hill in 2001 against Phil Mickelson has Woods won a PGA Tour event with a birdie on the 72nd hole to win by a shot, and this was so meaningful that Woods ripped off his cap and slung it to the ground, something he has never done. Woods said he was so caught up in the moment that when his caddie handed him his cap, he didn’t know how it got there.

LPGA

Sweden’s Louise Friberg won her first LPGA Tour title in her fourth career start, closing with a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Yani Tseng in the MasterCard Classic at Huxquilucan, Mexico.

The 2003 University of Washington graduate finished at 6-under 210 on the hilly Bosque Real course.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., finished at 225 after a final-round 81.

Champions Tour

Zimbabwe’s Denis Watson won the AT&T Champions Classic for his third Champions Tour title in two seasons, beating Loren Roberts with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff at Valencia in Santa Clarita, Calif.

Watson birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 7-under 65 and a share of the top spot with Roberts (70) and Brad Bryant (72) at 7-under 209.

Bryant was eliminated on the second extra hole.