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NO. 50 50
He is, after all, not only the youngest player to win The Masters, but also won by the widest margin of victory. He's captured 11 majors in 10 years on the PGA Tour. The list could go on and on. And now, Woods has another achievement on his elite resume. At 30 years, seven months and six days, Woods has captured his 50th PGA Tour win. "I've had a lot of just really wonderful things happen to me in my career so far on tour in 10 years, have been very blessed," said Woods. The milestone came in familiar fashion. Sporting a familiar red shirt, the crowd pleasing fist pump and a week of dominant play, he finished with a three-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, site of this years Buick Open. Woods fired four consecutive 66's, good for a season best 264 for the week. The 24-under mark was one stroke shy of Woods lowest total score on tour, which he took in 2002 at the WGC American Express Championship. In addition, he dropped 28 birdies in the week, a personal best. With his 50th victory, Woods becomes the seventh member of an elite group. Sam Snead currently holds the PGA Tour record for victories with 82, followed by Jack Nicklaus (73), Ben Hogan (64), Arnold Palmer (62), Byron Nelson (52) and Billy Casper (51). "It's going to be a lifetime, a career, to get to that point and attain something like that," Woods said."It took me 10 years to get here, hopefully I can continue playing well over the next 10, 20 years." Furyk, who couldn't best Woods despite an 8under 64 on Sunday, remains solid despite a third runner-up finish this year. In addition, he extended a streak of sub-par rounds at Warwick Hills to 33. Furyk managed to tie Woods after a bogey put them both at 12-under. Woods, however, did what he always does: make birdies at opportune moments. Birdies at 13 and 15 gave him a twostroke cushion coming down the 18th fairway. And, staying true to Tiger form, Woods birdied the 18th, increasing his margin of victory to three. Singh was looking for a third-straight Buick Open title, but faltered with a 70 in the final round. "I never got any momentum going," he said. "I drove the ball beautifully, but couldn't make anything. Woods, who secured a place on Tom Lehman's Ryder Cup team, snagged even more points with his victory, though there were several more up for up for grabs, especially for hopefuls teeter-tottering on the top-10 line. Vaughn Taylor finished in a tie for fourth place, bumping him up to seventh place on the U.S. point list. J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich sit just below Taylor in the current standings. Ryder Cup veteran Scott Verplank was also in that tie, moving him up for spots to 18th. Woods will take a break from this week's International, before moving teeing it up in the year's final major, taking aim at the record he covets most - Nickalus' 18 major championships. 50
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