Tiger Woods triumphs at Dubai Desert Classic

Dubai: It was fought out in cold, brutal but stirring fashion and in the end, Tiger Woods clinched a thrilling shootout victory over defending champion Ernie Els to win the 2006 Dubai Desert Classic yesterday.

Guided by his phenomenal ability and digging deep to find extra reserves of fortitude, Woods prevailed on the first extra hole after Els put his second shot into the lake protecting the 18th green. It was a finish that could not have been better scripted for a final day's play.

The playoff was enforced when both players finished on 19-under par 269, Woods returning a 69 to three-time former champion Els' brilliant final-round 67. For the second tournament in succession, this year Woods found himself in a playoff. But just has he had done on 11 occasions in the past, and last Sunday in the Buick Invitation in San Diego, he came through with flying colours. The world number one's only loss in the playoff was against Billy Mayfair in the 1998 Nissan Open.

After the euphoria of what he had accomplished by flying halfway round the world to compete in Dubai had died down, Woods said: "Overall it was a special day to go head to head with my buddy Ernie.

"It's always special, always a lot of fun and we both enjoyed it. I just happened to get a bit lucky today but next time who knows.

"But again Ernie, great playing all week, I know you got three, thanks for giving me one."

Woods, who was rumoured to have been paid $2 million to play in the tournament, picked up a winner's cheque worth $400,000, while Els pocketed $266,660.

Earlier in the afternoon, a pack of six golfers set the pulses racing with some dramatic play.

Among them were 1997 champion Richard Green from Australia, last year's runner-up Migel Angel Jimenez and the early tournament leaders South African Retief Goosen and Denmark's Anders Hansen.

Green, the only left-hander in the 77-strong field, bravely forced his way to the top of the leaderboard with a four-hole birdie blitz. But a horrendous tee-shot at the 18th left him needing two shots to come out of the scrubland to the left of the fairway and cost him his second Classic crown.

"Unfortunately, my driver has cost me another win," said the Australian who finished on 18-under, and a stroke behind Els and Woods. "It was pretty disappointing to see the result of it but that 18th doesn't play as well for me as it does for the right handers."

Andalusia's Jimenez, who lost out on the final hole to Els in this tournament twelve months ago, also made a determined late lunge but could only finish tied for fourth place with Hansen on 17-under 271.

Hansen, who began the day as a joint leader with Woods on 16-under, missed no less than four birdie putts from close range to chuck away any hopes of winning a tournament in which he had promised so much all week.

Goosen, who led after the second round, shot a 71 yesterday to take sixth place ahead of Ulsterman Darren Clarke, who finished joint seventh with Dubai-based Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson on 15-under 273. Woods, who has a habit of turning up in a red shirt on the final day of a tournament, wore pink yesterday and had shaved off his goatee.

But there were no changes in his game which was much like it had been all week - sometimes brilliant, yet sometimes erratic.

On the playoff hole, however, it was more of the former as Woods hit a perfect driver to land in the middle of the fairway forcing Els to come up with something special.

After the South African hooked his drive into a grove of palm trees, Woods hit a fairway woods to reach the back of the green in two.

He then watched as Els hit his second shot into the water, a slip that effectively handed victory to the American who two-putted for a birdie as Els chose not to putt after a missed attempt at par.