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Sports

Published: Monday May 11, 2009 MYT 10:27:00 AM
Updated: Monday May 11, 2009 MYT 11:23:18 AM

Stenson shoots flawless 66 to win Players, Tiger placed 8th

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (AP) - Henrik Stenson has won The Players Championship with a flawless final round on the treacherous TPC Sawgrass, playing without a bogey for a 6-under 66 and a four-shot victory.

The 33-year-old Swede started the day five shots behind Alex Cejka, in a six-way tie for second that included Tiger Woods.

Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, kisses the winner's trophy after his four shot victory at The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Sunday, May 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

But as Cejka collapsed with a 42 on the front nine, Stenson surged ahead and never let off until he tapped in for par for his second PGA Tour victory, and the biggest win of his career.

Stenson finished at 12-under 276 to finish four shots clear of Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter. He earned $1.71 million and moves to No. 5 in the world.

Woods played in the final group and was never a factor.

He was part of the six-way tie that included Stenson, and even as Cejka faltered to a 42 on the front nine, Woods couldn't take advantage. He finished with a 1-over 73 to finish alone in eighth. It was his first top 10 at The Players Championship since he won in 2001, and it kept alive his streak of 16 consecutive stroke-play events in the top 10 worldwide.

Stenson, who won for the 10th time in his career worldwide, finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1.71 million. He will move to No. 5 in the world ranking.

It was the second-largest comeback at The Players Championship, and matched the largest rally on the Stadium Course. Justin Leonard also came from five shots behind to win in 1998.

Cejka lost his lead in four holes after going at the flag from a bunker and watched his ball carom off the bulkhead and into the water. He made only one birdie and shot a 79. John Mallinger (70) and Kevin Na (70) tied for third. They were among a dozen players who had hopes of winning on the back nine, one of the most unpredictable stretches in golf.

Stenson, a Swede who shows little emotion even when playing in his skivvies, never gave anyone much hope.

Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, holds up his daughter, Lisa, after his four shot victory at The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Sunday, May 10, 2009. Stenson's 6-under-par round gave him a 12-under-par total. - AP Photo/J Pat Carter

Davis Love III also played bogey-free for a 64 when he rallied to victory in blustery conditions, although the course was softened by rain. Stenson, playing in the third-to-last group, matched the lowest round of the day, nearly 7.5 strokes better than the field average.

He missed only one fairway.

The only times he came remotely close to a bogey, he holed par putts of 8 feet on the front nine.

Stenson joined the leaders at 7 under with his chip-in birdie from just off the seventh green - Ben Crane, Retief Goosen and Poulter also were atop the board - then took the outright lead with a two-putt from 55 feet on the fringe at the par-5 ninth.

"I was thinking this that if I could finish in front of Tiger, that might be good enough," Poulter said. "But I wasn't expecting someone to go out there and shoot 66."

Woods pulled his tee shot on the par-5 second into the trees, the ball dropping to the pine straw. He hit his next shot into the water and took bogey, then dropped more shots by hitting into the rough on No. 4 and laying up short of the water, and by hitting into a pot bunker at No. 7 that forced him to play out sideways.

It was rare to see Woods, decked out in his Sunday red, playing in a final group with nothing at stake over the final holes.

The way Stenson was playing, it didn't matter what anyone was doing.

He stretched his lead with a pitching wedge into 2{ feet for birdie on the 15th, then two-putted for another birdie on the 16th, taking some of the fear factor from standing on the 17th tee, staring at an island. Once his ball found land, it was over.

"I could afford to go bogey-bogey and still win it," Stenson said. "That's always a handy situation to be in."

With the victory comes a three-year exemption to the Masters and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour if he wants it. - AP

Scores Sunday from The Players Championship, a $9.5 million US PGA Tour event on 7,215-yard, par-72 Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass:

Final round=

Henrik Stenson 68-69-73-66_276

Ian Poulter 67-68-75-70_280

John Mallinger 66-71-74-70_281

Kevin Na 71-66-74-70_281

Jim Furyk 68-74-71-69_282

Brian Davis 71-69-71-71_282

Ben Crane 65-73-72-72_282

Tiger Woods 71-69-70-73_283

Aaron Baddeley 71-71-76-66_284

Vijay Singh 71-72-74-67_284

Tim Clark 72-69-74-69_284

David Toms 67-70-77-70_284

Alex Cejka 66-67-72-79_284

Matt Kuchar 72-72-73-68_285

Mike Weir 72-72-73-68_285

Paul Casey 70-69-76-70_285

Angel Cabrera 72-65-77-71_285

Robert Allenby 73-66-75-71_285

Camilo Villegas 67-72-75-71_285

Jeff Klauk 71-72-71-71_285

Daniel Chopra 75-65-72-73_285

Scott Piercy 71-72-74-69_286

Sergio Garcia 71-73-73-69_286

Geoff Ogilvy 70-72-73-71_286

Tommy Armour III 74-70-70-72_286

Justin Rose 70-71-72-73_286

Steve Stricker 71-71-71-73_286

Ben Curtis 71-72-69-74_286

Woody Austin 72-72-68-74_286

Kenny Perry 73-71-68-74_286

Retief Goosen 67-72-71-76_286

Jason Dufner 67-70-77-73_287

Justin Leonard 70-69-75-73_287

Zach Johnson 72-71-70-74_287

Billy Mayfair 70-74-69-74_287

Kevin Sutherland 73-67-72-75_287

Charley Hoffman 70-69-76-73_288

Luke Donald 74-70-71-73_288

Bubba Watson 67-75-72-74_288

John Rollins 68-76-70-74_288

Jeff Overton 71-67-75-75_288

Tim Petrovic 68-70-75-75_288

John Senden 72-69-72-75_288

Jonathan Byrd 67-72-71-78_288

Ryuji Imada 72-70-75-72_289

Ernie Els 73-69-73-74_289

Michael Letzig 71-68-74-76_289

Richard S. Johnson 66-72-74-77_289

Padraig Harrington 72-72-74-72_290

Jason Bohn 72-71-74-73_290

Stephen Ames 70-71-75-74_290

Nick O'Hern 68-73-75-74_290

Fredrik Jacobson 70-73-72-75_290

Scott Verplank 67-74-73-76_290

Brad Adamonis 67-76-74-74_291

Mark Wilson 69-72-75-75_291

Phil Mickelson 73-71-71-76_291

Heath Slocum 75-69-71-76_291

Martin Kaymer 71-73-69-78_291

Rocco Mediate 73-71-74-74_292

Chez Reavie 70-72-75-75_292

Johnson Wagner 69-73-72-78_292

Michael Allen 71-70-74-78_293

Jeev M. Singh 68-74-76-76_294

Steve Flesch 75-69-74-76_294

Cameron Beckman 72-72-73-78_295

John Merrick 70-72-74-79_295

Jeff Quinney 73-70-75-78_296

Pat Perez 72-72-74-78_296

Ryan Moore 71-68-75-84_298 Made cut, but did not qualify for weekend play=

Robert Karlsson 74-70-75_219

Hunter Mahan 73-71-75_219

Martin Laird 71-72-76_219

Nathan Green 74-69-76_219

K.J. Choi 73-69-77_219

Stewart Cink 70-73-77_220

Bob Estes 75-68-77_220

Graeme McDowell 71-73-77_221

Fred Funk 73-71-78_222

Steve Marino 72-72-78_222

Dustin Johnson 70-73-79_222


For video of Players and other reports click here

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