Tiger Rallies to Victory at AT&T National

Tiger Woods wasn’t exactly the greatest host at the AT&T National, rallying to overtake Hunter Mahan to win his own tournament by one stroke.  The day started out with Woods and Anthony Kim tied after 54 holes, but the 24 year old Kim faltered early, dropping four shots in four holes on the front nine, and finished the day with a 71.  His 9-under left him four strokes back of Woods, alone in third place.

Tiger Woods wins the AT&T National. (Image: Zuma Press)

Woods’ main challenge on this day came from Hunter Mahan, who finished the day tied for the lead after a birdie on the 18th.  Mahan’s round of 62 tied the course record set Thursday by Kim, and he had to wait over an hour to see if Woods would overtake him.  It took a while, but finally on the 16th, Woods nailed a 20 foot birdie putt to take sole possession of the lead, and two routine pars later, Tiger was champ.

With Woods acting as host, the AT&T National used the 4th of July backdrop to honor and celebrate the courageous men and women serving in the Armed Forces.  The memory of Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, weighed heavily on his mind throughout the weekend, as Earl was a distinguished member of the Armed Forces for 20 years, including two full tours of duty in Vietnam.