September 23, 2002	Monday	Rajab 15, 1423

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THOMASTOWN (Ireland), Sept 22: Despite bogeying the last, Tiger Woods held off a superb closing round of 10-under-par 62 from South Africa’s Retief Goosen to win the WGC-American Express Championship by a shot on Sunday.

The world number one, who began the day five strokes clear of the field, carded a last-day 66 to secure his sixth title of the year in calm but overcast conditions at the par-72 Mount Juliet course.

Woods, who dropped his only shot of the tournament at the 72nd hole when he missed a putt for par from 10 feet, also collected five birdies and an eagle-three at the 562-yard 10th to finish at 25-under 263.

It was the 30th time in 33 tournaments he had triumphed after leading — or being tied for the lead — going into the final day and it was his sixth victory in a World Golf Championship (WGC) event.

But he was run desperately close by world number five Goosen, who eagled the par-five 17th to close to within a stroke of the lead before parring the last to equal the course record set earlier in the day by Sergio Garcia.

Soon after Goosen’s eagle on 17, Woods hit his tee shot at the same hole under a tree in the middle of the fairway.

But he managed to play out, reached the green with his third and coolly sank a 15-foot putt for his fifth birdie of the day.