Golf | Tiger shoots a 63 to win, leads FedEx Cup standings

LEMONT, Ill. — Tiger Woods closed with an 8-under-par 63 for a two-shot victory over Aaron Baddeley on Sunday in the BMW Championship.

Woods finished at 22-under 262 to surpass by five strokes the tournament scoring record he shared with Scott Hoch; collected his 60th victory on the PGA Tour; and moved atop the FedEx Cup standings entering The Tour Championship in Atlanta — the final event of the four-tournament PGA Tour Playoffs.

The 31-year-old Woods got $1.26 million for the win.

"I never, ever would have dreamt that this could have happened this soon," Woods said of reaching 60 wins. "I've exceeded my expectations, and it's been a lot of fun to enjoy the whole road."

The starting playoff field of 144 is down to 30, and doesn't include Ryan Moore of Puyallup. Moore was 52nd in points after finishing tied for 18th in the BMW at 277.

The FedEx Cup winner gets a $10 million bonus. Five remain in the running for the bonus — Woods, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini and K.J. Choi.

Woods or Stricker could clinch the bonus with a victory in Atlanta. Mickelson, who didn't play in the BMW, would earn the bonus with a win unless Woods finished alone in second. A one-two Mickelson-Woods finish would give the Cup to Woods.

Woods hit 13 of 14 fairways in regulation and needed 25 putts in the bogey-free round.

Asked if he could play better, Woods replied, "Yes. I mean if you don't think that way, just quit."

Baddeley shot a 66. Stricker (68), who started the final round tied for the lead with Baddeley, was third. Of competing against Woods, Stricker said, "There isn't a lot you can do. I would have had to shoot 63 today to beat him."

Moore helps U.S.

keep Walker Cup

NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland — Jonathan Moore of Vancouver, Wash., hit a 4-iron from 252 yards to 3 feet to set up an eagle on the 18th hole and give the American amateurs the final point they needed to capture the 41st Walker Cup Match, the first time in 16 years they have won away from home.

"I never dreamed it would get that close," Moore said. "It came off perfect. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm just really thankful."

Moore, 22, beat 39-year-old Nigel Edwards of Wales 1-up and the team won 12-½-11-½.The Americans won the Walker Cup for the second straight time against Britain and Ireland and hold a 33-7-1 record in the series.

Moore, the 2006 NCAA champion from Oklahoma State, also contributed in the morning when the United States swept the four alternate-shot matches to build a 10-6 lead.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley, who competes for Clemson, lost his singles match to Jonny Caldwell.

Other tournaments

• Amateur Stacy Lewis, a college golfer at Arkansas, finished atop the leaderboard at 7-under 65 — and she also received a big trophy after the rain-shortened LPGA NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers. Is she the champion? Not officially.

Tour officials shortened the event from 54 holes to 18. NCAA champ Lewis isn't considered an official winner because the tournament wasn't at least 36 holes. Players won't receive the full amount of prize money.

No amateur has won an LPGA Tour event since JoAnne Carner in 1969. Hall of Famer Carner was born in Kirkland in 1939.

• Emily Bastel of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, won the Duramed Futures Tour money title with $59,779 to earn one of the five 2008 LPGA Tour cards available on the developmental circuit. Bastel was fifth in the ILOVENY Championship in Albany, N.Y., an event won by Onnarin Sattayabanphot of Thailand.

• Brett Rumford holed a 30-foot chip from the fringe on the first hole of a playoff with Phillip Archer to win the European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland. They were at 16-under 268 after 72 holes.

• Franklin Langham, 39, won his third career Nationwide Tour title, closing with a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke win over Richard Johnson in the Utah EnergySolutions Championship in Sandy. Langham, a former PGA Tour member, had a 20-under 264 total and earned $90,000.