Golf Roundup | Tiger triumphs again

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods studied his 25-foot birdie putt from every angle, convincing himself he could make it to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational because he had a similar putt in the same situation seven years ago at Bay Hill.

He wasn't alone in his thinking.

Palmer stood behind the 18th green in his pink shirt and blue blazer, waiting to hand him the trophy. The King was joined by an army of fans who squinted into the late afternoon sun, all expecting Woods to continue a winning streak that began in September.

And then there was Bart Bryant, who challenged Woods over the final two hours but now sat in the scoring trailer and listened.

"I heard a big cheer, and I got up and left," Bryant said. "That's why he's Tiger Woods."

This one was special.

Tied for the lead on one of the most intimidating closing holes in golf, Woods delivered his best swing of the week with a 5-iron from 164 yards into a stiff breeze, then a 25-foot birdie putt that tumbled into the cup to stretch his PGA Tour winning streak to five.

It was his 64th victory, tying Ben Hogan at No. 3 on the tour's career list.

And it produced a celebration like none of the others. Woods backpedaled as the ball crept closer to the hole, turned and slammed his cap to the ground as he let out a roar. Woods looked perplexed when caddie Steve Williams handed him his hat.

"I was like, 'How in the hell did he get my hat?' " Woods said. "Evidently, it came off. I need to see the highlights. I was so into the moment of the putt going in and winning the golf tournament."

Woods closed with a 4-under 66.

"What he's doing right now, you can't even fathom," Bryant said after closing with a 67. Bryant was the only player to break par all four rounds at Bay Hill, and all it got him was second place.

There have been five winning streaks of at least five tournaments in PGA Tour history. Woods owns three of them, with the others belonging to Hogan (6) and Byron Nelson, whose 11 in a row is considered among the most untouchable records in sports.

Woods won Bay Hill for the fifth time, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least five times in four different tournaments. 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.

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.

Woods finished at 10-under 270 and earned $1,044,000, putting him on the cusp of going over $80 million for his career.

Seattle native Fred Couples closed with a 71 and finished at 7-over 287.

Other tournaments

• Zimbabwe's Denis Watson won the AT&T Champions Classic for his third title in two seasons, beating Loren Roberts with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff at Valencia in Santa Clarita, Calif. Watson, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and Boeing Classic winner, 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.

• Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell won the inaugural Ballantine's Championship in Jeju Island, South Korea, beating India's Jeev Milkha Singh with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff.