ATLANTA -- The coronation could finally occur as Tiger Woods made his way to the 18th green Sunday, a remarkable scene as thousands of spectators engulfed him on his walk to victory while chanting and cheering his name as he was about to put the finishing touches on his 80th PGA Tour win.

The final round at East Lake was not easy, but it paled in comparison to the treacherous comeback Woods endured in recent years as he tried to recover from multiple back surgeries.

That beaming Woods smile and arms raised in triumph after the final tap-in suggested it was worth all the hardship.

Tiger Woods tees off on the 14th hole on his way to his first win in five years. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

A 1-over-par 71 was good enough to capture the Tour Championship, the season-ending tournament on the PGA Tour schedule and one that gave Woods his first victory in more than five years. He won by two shots over Billy Horschel as Justin Rose captured the season-long FedEx Cup title.

"I was pretty emotional when Rory [McIlroy] was tapping out, he was finishing out,'' Woods said. "I looked around, and the tournament was over because I'd already put the bunker shot on the green, and I'd won 80. 80 is a big number. I've been sitting on 79 for about five years now, and to get 80 is a pretty damned good feeling.''

A birdie at the first hole set the tone for Woods, who increased his lead over playing partner McIlroy and Rose to four shots at the point. In much the same manner he won numerous titles over the years, Woods played smart, methodical golf, doing all he could to limit mistakes while letting others make them.

His lead was never less than two, and it got that close only at the 16th hole, where Woods made a bogey while Horschel was already in the clubhouse.

"The game plan was to shoot under par, and I birdied the first hole right out of the gate,'' he said. "Now, play the next 17 in even par, and we're good to go. I was just grinding out there, and I was telling [caddie] Joey [LaCava], it felt like more of a grind today because of where I kept leaving myself. I had downhill putts virtually every single hole. The only three putts I made today at 1 and 4, the par putt, and 13 -- those were all uphill. It seemed like I was downhill, down grain every single hole, and I was putting very defensive and conservatively all day.''

Rose, despite a final-round 73 that dropped him out of contention for the Tour Championship, birdied the last hole to capture the FedEx Cup and a $10 million bonus. Had he not birdied the last, Woods would have won his third FedEx title.

Clearly, winning the tournament was more important to Woods. It came only a few days short of a year since he told reporters, "I don't know what my future holds,'' months after spinal fusion surgery meant he was still unable to take full swings with a golf club.

"It is emotional for sure,'' said Rob McNamara, Woods' long-time friend who has served as his eyes and ears over the past year while the golfer played without a coach. "He made me cry, but I couldn't be more proud of him, a true champion in every sense of the word.''

Woods is expected to go to No. 13 in the world after dropping as low as 1,199th late last year. It was his 18th start of 2018, and he has seven top-10 finishes. Woods also now trails all-time PGA Tour victory leader Sam Snead by two.

"I am extremely proud of him,'' Jack Nicklaus said in a series of tweets congratulating Woods.

I never dreamed @TigerWoods could come back and swing the way he has, after surgery. I think you could argue he's swinging better than he has ever in his life. He has played fantastically! — Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 23, 2018

Woods played beautifully to give himself a three-shot 54-hole advantage, a lead he has never failed to convert now in 24 tries. He shot rounds of 65-68-65 to get to 12 under par, giving him his first three-round advantage since he won the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, his last victory.

It proved beneficial on a day when East Lake seemed particularly difficult. Just 13 players broke par, and those closest to Woods -- McIlroy and Rose -- manage scores of 74 and 73, respectively.

"It was a grind out there,'' Woods said. "I loved every bit of it. The fight and the grind and the tough conditions and just had to suck it up and hit shots, and I loved every bit of it.''

McIlroy shot 39 on the front nine to fall out of contention and finished with a 74 and in a tie for seventh. Rose also struggled, falling four shots back by the turn and tied for fourth. It was then a matter of Woods getting to the clubhouse at East Lake, the home of the great amateur Bobby Jones, whose photos and memorabilia adorn the surroundings.

Horschel, who won the 2014 FedEx Cup, made a late push with a 66, but when he was in at 9 under par, Woods had only three holes to play.

Woods, 42, was basically out of golf for the past two years, playing just three tournaments worldwide as he attempted to alleviate back and nerve pain that led to four surgeries. When he returned at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, he was ranked 656th in the world, had not earned a single Ryder Cup point and seemed miles away from being able to compete with the game's best.

But Woods slowly gained form, posting six top-10 finishes coming into the Tour Championship, including at The Open and the PGA Championship.

"He's played such good golf all year that it's just not surprising,'' Phil Mickelson said while Woods was on the back nine. "It was just a matter of time before he does win. He's playing so well on a very difficult golf course. We all have been kind of expecting it. I've seen the way he's been swinging the club and the way he's been playing. We all knew it was just a matter of time.''

Woods has said many times that he has been touched by the outpouring of support he has received throughout the year from fans, many of whom had never seen him or had certainly not watched him perform at a high level.

He admitted that the conclusion Sunday was unique, as he was swarmed trying to get the bunker that fronted the green, from where he was able to blast on and complete the tournament.

"I appreciate it a little bit more than I did because I don't take it for granted that I'm going to have another decade, two decades in my future of playing golf at this level,'' Woods said. "It means a lot more to me now in that sense because I didn't know if I'd ever be out here playing again, doing this again.''

And then, putting the length of his career into perspective -- Woods won his first PGA Tour title in 1996 -- he was asked how he thought the world would react, given that he had likely broken the internet.

"Well, when I came out here, there was no internet,'' Woods said, smiling.

Woods is now the favorite to win next year's Masters. Heading into the Tour Championship, he was 12-1 behind then-Masters favorite Jordan Spieth. By the end of the tournament, Woods' odds had been trimmed to 9-1, ahead of Spieth's, at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

Woods also is a minus-220 favorite over Mickelson in their match play event in November in Las Vegas.

ESPN's David Purdum contributed to this article.</s>Tiger Woods earned his first PGA Tour victory since 2013 Sunday by winning the Tour Championship by two shots at 11 under.

Woods, who entered the day with a three-shot lead, captivated fans with a blast from the past, ending all doubt he's returned to form after four back surgeries since 2014. Woods finished the season with eight top-12 finishes, including a runner up at the PGA Championship and this win.

A poised and controlled effort, Woods fired a final-round 71 to finish the week second in the FedEx Cup standings. He called his opening-round, 5-under 65 one of his best rounds of the year.

While Woods' victory stole the show this week at East Lake, Justin Rose, the world's top-ranked player, won the FedEx Cup. Rose struggled Sunday, firing a 3-over 73, but he two-putted for birdie on the 72nd hole to claim the Cup.

Rose finished tied for fourth at 6 under to add a FedEx Cup title to his resumé which already included an Olympic gold medal, U.S. Open and world No. 1 ranking.

Billy Horschel shot a 4-under 66 Sunday to finish second at the Tour Championship at 9 under. He won the FedEx Cup in 2014.

Dustin Johnson shot a 3-under 67 Sunday to finish third at 7 under. Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson tied Rose for fourth at 6 under.

Gallery members joined Woods down the 72nd fairway as he finished off his 80th PGA Tour victory. He won five times in 2013, but injuries cost him the better part of five years.

As long as Woods can stay healthy, he should be able to challenge for more wins next season. His next stop is the Ryder Cup.</s>(CNN) — Tiger Woods has won a PGA Tour event for the first time in over five years after victory at the Tour Championship.

The 14-time major winner’s triumph at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club was his 80th on the PGA Tour and his first since August 2013.

Woods finished 11-under par for the weekend, two strokes clear of his nearest challenger Billy Horschel.

“It was just a grind out there,” the former world No. 1 told NBC moments after his final putt. “I loved every bit of it, the fight and the grind and the tough conditions. Loved every bit of it.”

Thousands of fans followed the 42-year-old down the 18th fairway, chanting “USA, USA” as Woods sealed his first win in 1,876 days.

“I just can’t believe I pulled this off,” added a visibly emotional Woods during the presentation ceremony.

“It’s been tough. I’ve had it not so easy the last couple of years and I’ve worked my way back.”

Amid the excitement, it was easy to forget current world No. 1, Justin Rose, had birdied the 18th hole to finish tied for fourth place and secure the FedEx Cup — which serves as the finale to the PGA Tour season — as well as a check for $10 million.

“Sorry to rain on the parade, guys!” he joked.

“I would like to take this moment to congratulate Tiger. I think the world of golf is really proud of you right now.”</s>ATLANTA (AP) — Tiger Woods wins Tour Championship for 80th PGA Tour title and first in more than five years.</s>Tiger Woods won the moment, thrilling the fans in attendance, but it was Justin Rose who ended up winning the FedExCup. That is the way the golf world will remember the 2018 Tour Championship, as Woods ran away with the individual title, finishing 11-under par to beat Billy Horschel by two strokes. Rose tied for fourth place at 6-under, just enough to vault him to the top of the FedExCup standings and claim the PGA Tour’s big overall prize.

Rose came into the Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta in second place on the FedExCup leaderboard, and there were myriad possibilities for determining the overall season champion, depending on how each of the PGA’s best golfers performed over the four rounds. Rose put himself in position to win the Cup with rounds of 66-67-68 before struggling to post 73 on Sunday. In the end, combined with points leader Bryson DeChambeau finishing 19th at 1-under par, Rose did just enough to put his name in the history books.

He now has won the 2012 U.S. Open, an Olympic gold medal in 2016, and the FedExCup in 2018, while also earning the current No. 1 ranking in the world and finishing the season with that distinction intact.

Meanwhile, this tournament belonged to Woods and Woods alone, and he came very close to taking the Cup home, too. He began the event in 20th place on points, but Woods shot 65-68-65 to enter Sunday play with a three-stroke advantage. This was vintage Tiger on the course, too, as there was never really a doubt in the fourth round on Sunday as to who would win the event. In an impressive comeback from a variety of injuries, Woods won his first PGA Tour event in over five years, the last one coming at the Bridgestone Invitational back in August 2013.

Dustin Johnson finished third behind Woods and Horschel, carding a 67 in the fourth round to finish at 7-under par. Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson finished in the fourth-place knot with Rose, while Rory McIlroy, playing with Woods in the final group on Sunday, shot 74 to finish in a tie for seventh place with Rickie Fowler, 2017 Tour Championship winner, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Thomas.

It was a crazy four days at East Lake, though, with every one of the top 30 golfers participating capable of winning the FedExCup, depending on how the balls bounced and found the cup. Fowler and Woods shared the first round lead at 5-under after Thursday’s play, although Rose and Gary Woodland were hot on the trail, just one stroke behind the leaders. Tony Finau, McIlroy, and Thomas all posted rounds of 67 to stay two shots off the pace. Points leader DeChambeau struggled to shoot 71, while Phil Mickelson was at the bottom of the board after posting a 73 in the first round.

Two of the pre-event favorites, DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, shot themselves out of contention on Friday in the second round, with very high scores. Koepka, winner of both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship this season, posted a 78, while DeChambeau had his second straight day over par, carding a 75. This left the overall FedExCup championship wide open for a host of players atop the leaderboard — most notably Woods.

Tiger once again was tied for the lead, this time after 36 holes and with Rose at 7-under par. McIlroy was alone in third place at 5-under, while a quartet of golfers lurked in fourth place, one stroke behind McIlroy. That made for a bunched-up leaderboard heading into the weekend, with seemingly endless possibilities for the tournament and the overall title chases.

By the end of the third round on Saturday, however, Woods was in command at 12-under after shooting a 65. He had a three-shot lead over both McIlroy and Rose, his closest pursuers at 9-under par. Tiger shot the low round of the day, although McIlroy’s 66 was not too far behind. That set up an interesting final pairing for Sunday, in perhaps a Ryder Cup preview, with McIlroy and Woods. Jon Rahm and Kyle Stanley were tied for fourth place at this point, six shots behind Woods.

It was all just the set up for the somewhat anticlimactic finish on Sunday. What stood out the most in this tournament was how so many of the world’s top players could not consistently shoot under par over the four rounds of the Tour Championship: No golfer posted four rounds in the 60s at East Lake. Interpret that any way you will, but it says a lot about the pressure and the situation the tournament had to offer the best golfers on the final weekend of a long season.

>>MORE: This Week In Golf

Next On The Tee: The Ryder Cup

For the 42nd time in history, many of the world’s top golfers will compete against each other in the now-established United States vs. Europe format. Jim Furyk captains the American team, while Thomas Bjorn is the European captain. The U.S. squad currently holds the Cup itself after its 2016 victory at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota, but the Americans have not won or retained the Cup on European turf since 1993. That makes for an interesting weekend of exciting golf, now that the PGA Tour has concluded its 2017-18 season.

On both Friday and Saturday, the teams will compete in two different formats: four alternate-shot matches in the mornings and four better-ball matches in the afternoons. On Sunday, the final day of competition, there are 12 singles matches, and that almost always provides a tremendous amount of drama and excitement for the fans. McIlroy and Rose, as well as 2018 British Open champion, Francesco Molinari, lead the European squad against Woods, Koepka, Johnson, and DeChambeau, among others.

Each match carries a point for the winning team, and the U.S. needs 14 points out of 28 to retain the Cup. Europe will need to win 14.5 points to earn back the trophy.

This Ryder Cup event will be played at Le Golf National outside of Paris. The Albatros Course has hosted the French Open almost every year since 1991, and the 2024 Olympic golf competition is scheduled for this venue as well. The course opened in 1990 and was designed by a trio of architects. Interestingly, the term albatross in golf diction equates to the double eagle. Eduardo Romero of Argentina set the course record here in 2005 by shooting 62. Since this competition is not stroke-based, that record will remain intact despite the high level of golfing talent descending on Le Golf National later this week.

The Albatros Course plays 7,331 yards long and is a par 72.

Sam McPherson is a freelance writer covering baseball, football, basketball, golf and fantasy sports for CBS Local. He also is an Ironman triathlete and certified triathlon coach. Follow him on Twitter @sxmcp, because he’s quite prolific despite also being a college English professor and a certified copy editor.</s>ATLANTA – Tiger Woods, in his Sunday red shirt, both arms raised in victory on the 18th green.

For so many years, the scene was familiar.

This time, it was surreal.

''I can't believe I pulled this off,'' Woods said Sunday during the trophy presentation at the Tour Championship, where he gave thousands of delirious fans at East Lake, and millions more around the world, what they wanted to see, and what they thought they might never see again.

And at that moment, Woods was overcome with emotion and paused.

After two back surgeries six weeks apart, he couldn't lie down, sit or walk without pain. Golf was the least of his concerns, so much that he once said anything else he achieved would be ''gravy.''

One year ago, while recovering from a fourth back surgery, he still had no idea if he could come back to the highest level of golf.

''Just to be able to compete and play again this year, that's a hell of a comeback,'' he said.

Woods delivered the perfect ending to his amazing return from back surgeries with a performance out of the past. He left the competition feeling hopeless as he built a five-shot lead early and then hung on for a 1-over 71 and a two-shot victory over Billy Horschel.

It was the 80th victory of his PGA Tour, two short of the career record held by Sam Snead that is now very much in play. And it was his first victory in more than five years, dating to the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

And that brought a new version of Tigermania.

After he hit his second shot to the par-5 18th safely in a bunker in front of the green, the crowd came through the ropes and followed behind in a chaotic celebration. It was like that when he walked from the left side of the 18th fairway at the 1997 Masters he won by 12. It was reminiscent of that walk up the 18th fairway later that summer at the Western Open in Chicago.

This was pure pandemonium. Fans chased after any inch of grass they could find to watch the ending.

''I didn't want to get run over,'' Woods said with a laugh.

This felt just as big as a major, maybe better considering where Woods had been.

Several players, from Zach Johnson to Rickie Fowler to Horschel, waited to greet him. It was Johnson who unveiled red shirts at the Ryder Cup two years ago in the team room that said, ''Make Tiger Great Again.''

''They knew what I was struggling with,'' Woods said. ''It was special to see them.''

Woods played only one PGA Tour event over two seasons because of his back. Off the golf course, he had to overcome the embarrassment of a DUI arrest in the early morning of Memorial Day in 2017 when he was found asleep at the wheel, later found to have a concoction of pain medication in his system.

He was becoming a legend on in video highlights.

And then he brought it back to life this year, especially the last four days at East Lake. The players who have turns at No. 1 during his absence caught the full brunt of Woods in control. McIlroy faded early. Justin Rose faded late.

All that was left was the 42-year-old Woods in that red shirt, blazing brighter than ever, and a smile he couldn't shake walking up the 18th to collect another trophy.

''The 80 mark is a big number,'' he said. ''It's a pretty damned good feeling.''

He finished at 11-under 269 and won $1.62 million, along with a $3 million bonus for finishing second in the FedEx Cup.

The only disappointment - a minor one under the circumstances - was realizing as he came down the 18th that Rose had made birdie to finish in a three-way tie for fourth, which gave him the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.

Without that birdie, Woods would have won his third FedEx Cup title after starting at No. 20 going into the Tour Championship.

''Congrats, Rosie,'' Woods told him. ''World No. 1, hell of a season.''

Actually, former world No. 1 for Rose. His four bogeys over the last 10 holes cost him the No. 1 ranking back to Dustin Johnson, who shot 67 and finished third.

But this wasn't about the FedEx Cup or even the world ranking.

This is Tiger's big day, and nothing was going to change it.

Woods had never lost when leading by three shots or more going into the final round. That was when he was regularly winning multiple times every season, compiling trophies at a rate never before seen in golf.

Was anything different having gone more than five years without winning?

Rose had said it was a bit more unknown, and ''there's a lot on it for him'' as well as everyone else.

But this was still Woods' arena. The walk from the putting green snakes some 80 yards across the road and through a gallery, and everyone could hear him coming from the procession of cheering. And within the opening hour, the Tour Championship had that inevitable feeling.

No one brings excitement like Woods, even when he plays so good and so smart that he eliminates any potential for drama.

The buzz was endless. A couple of teenagers climbed into a tree to see him made a 10-foot birdie on the first hole. When the putt dropped and cheers died, there was a wild sprint some 200 yards up the hill as fans tried to get into position for the next shot. He tapped in for par, and another stampede ensued to line the third fairway.

On and on it went. No one wanted to miss a shot.

A year ago, there was no guarantee anyone would see much of Woods, much less Woods winning.

He's back again. This victory, his first since the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in August 2013 - 1,876 days, to be exact - brought him to No. 13 in the world. Not bad for a 42-year-old with four back surgeries who returned to competition in December at No. 1,199 in the world.

The next stop for Woods is to board a plane with the rest of his U.S. teammates for France and the Ryder Cup.

Doug Ferguson is a national golf writer for The Associated Press.</s>ATLANTA -- Golfers know how nice it looks to see 3s on the scorecard, and Tiger Woods made a bunch of them Saturday at East Lake to take his first 54-hole lead in a tournament since his last victory in 2013.

Woods began his round with five consecutives 3s, six birdies in his first seven holes and shot the lowest score of the day, a 5-under-par 65 to take a three-stroke advantage over Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose into the final round of the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour's season-ending event.

A victory on Sunday would be the 80th of Woods' PGA Tour career and his first since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he last held a 54-hole advantage.

With the three-stroke lead, the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has Woods as an odds-on -175 favorite to finish off the victory Sunday. McIlroy is the second favorite at +350, followed by Rose at +400.

In addition, Woods is also now the favorite to win next year's Masters. Heading into the Tour Championship, he was 12-1, behind then-Masters favorite Jordan Spieth. But by the end of Saturday's third round, Woods' odds had been trimmed to 9-1, ahead of Spieth, at the Westgate.

Throughout his career, Woods has been nearly automatic when holding at least a share of the third-round lead. He is 53-4 on PGA Tour, with the last time he failed to convert coming at the 2009 PGA Championship, where Y.E. Yang overcame a two-shot deficit.

But much has transpired since then, and Woods - despite contending several times in 2018 - has not had an advantage heading into the final day.

In the six times this year that Woods finished in the top 10, the closest he was to the top was a tie for second and one shot back at the Valspar Championship in March. There he shot a final-round 70 and finished one stroke behind winner Paul Casey.

The closest he was in any of the other chances was four shots, at both The Open and the PGA Championship, the latter where he shot a final-round 64 and finished two shots back of Brooks Koepka.

Woods began the day in a tie with Rose at 7 under par. But Woods quickly pulled ahead with a birdie on the first while Rose bogeyed the first two holes. The lead was five strokes after Woods birdied the seventh and again after Rose bogeyed the 14th.

But for the second straight day, Woods had trouble at the par-4 16th, where he made a double bogey on Friday and then bogeyed the hole after slipping while hitting his tee shot Saturday. When Rose birdied the hole, the advantage was down to three strokes.

McIlroy, the FedEx Cup champion, birdied two of the last three holes to shoot 66 and pull within three shots. He will be grouped with Woods in the final pairing.</s>The 2018 PGA Tour comes to end this weekend as the winner of the FedEx Cup is decided at the Tour Championship. The top-30 ranked players compete for the huge prize pot with the overall reward being a cool $25million. Bryson DeChambeau begins the week as the favourite to win the FedEx Cup outright but England’s Justin Rose and the resurgent Tiger Woods are all in contention. This is the first time Woods will be competing in the Tour Championship for years after returning to top form this season.

Injury issues and personal problems have plagued his career over the years but, while a win on tour has still alluded him, he looks close to his best. And Woods admits he is proud of what he has achieved this season. “I think the season itself has been amazing," he said. “To be able to have played this well after coming off of what I came off of.

“I didn't know how many tournaments I'd play in, and next thing you know, here I am in the Tour Championship. “There's some guys that can't say they've accomplished that, have got into the Tour Championship, but to have come back from where I've come back from and to get here has been a pretty tall order and something I'm proud of." The FedEx Cup will undergo radical changes in 2019 with the bonus pool to be increased by $25m to $60m. The No 1 player heading into the Tour Championship will also start at 10 under, the next four starting at eight under through to five under and the scale will go all the way down to those who qualify 26th to 30th beginning at level par.</s>ATLANTA — Tiger Woods is three shots ahead and one round away from capping his comeback season with a moment that has defined his career.

Woods played the most dynamic golf he has all year Saturday with six birdies in his opening seven holes to build a five-shot lead. He cooled from there with a few mistakes and had to settle for a 5-under 65 and a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose in the Tour Championship.

He has the 54-hole lead for the first time since his last victory in 2013 at the Bridgestone Invitational. He has never lost an official tournament when leading by more than two shots going into the final round, and his closing record with the lead is 42-2 on the PGA Tour.

Woods has never been in better position to show he's all the way back from four back surgeries that once made him fear he might never play again.

"I've gone through a lot this year to get myself to this point, and understanding and fighting my way through it," Woods said. "I'm certainly much more equipped than I was in March because of what I've gone through."

Wood was at 12-under 198 and will be paired for the first time in final group with McIlroy on the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods of the United States acknowledges the crowd on the eighth green during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.

McIlroy birdied two of his last three holes for a 66.

"It's obviously exciting for the golf tournament. It's exciting for golf in general that he's up there," McIlroy said. "But for me, all I can do is concentrate on myself. The game is hard enough without looking at other people. Go out there, take care of my business, and hopefully that's good enough."

Rose started the third round tied with Woods, but not for long.

Rose opened with two straight bogeys before battling back, but the world's No. 1 player already was four shots behind after four holes. He narrowed the gap with a birdie on the 16th as Woods had to scramble for bogey, a two-shot swing.

"In some ways, it felt like a Sunday just with the energy," Rose said after a 68. "But I knew that it was halfway through a Saturday. Just wanted to sort of chisel a few back and give myself a chance going into tomorrow."

There used to be no chance against Woods when he was atop the leaderboard going into the final round. His only losses with the 54-hole lead were the Quad City Classic in 1996 when he was 20 and making third start as a pro, and the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine against Y.E. Yang. He also lost a two-shot lead to Lee Westwood in Germany at a European Tour event in 2000.

Woods has gone more than five years without winning. He also has won enough times — 90 tournaments around the world — to remember how to do it.

"It's a little more unknown now," Rose said. "Obviously, his history, his statistics from this point are impeccable. They're incredible. But he's human, and there's a lot on it for him tomorrow, as well as the rest of us."

Woods poured in a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole. His wedge settled 8 feet below the hole on No. 3. His 20-foot birdie putt on No. 4 tumbled into the center of the cup with perfect pace. Two short birdies followed. And when he finally missed a fairway at No. 7, Woods hit a 9-iron from the bunker that hopped out of the first cut to about 5 feet for a sixth birdie in seven holes.

The cheers were endless, and there was no doubting what was going on.

"I've heard the roars all day, and it's been phenomenal," Paul Casey said after his 66. "What an atmosphere it is out there this week."

Woods, however, made only one birdie over his last 11 holes, a wedge to 7 feet on No. 12. He missed badly on his tee shot at the par-3 ninth, and the shaggy rough to the right of the 16th fairway caused the face of his club to open, missing to the right. His flop shot didn't get up the hill and rolled back toward him, and his next pitch was a bump-and-run played to perfection that kept him from another double bogey.

McIlroy also started strong, and being in the group ahead of Woods, he knew exactly what was happening. On Sunday, he get a front-row seat. The only other time they were paired together in the fourth round was at the 2015 Masters, when both were 10 shots behind Jordan Spieth.

Rose won't be in the final group, but he has plenty on the line even if he doesn't catch Woods. He likely needs to finish in the top five to be assured of winning the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>It’s entirely possible that Justin Rose could win $11 million today, strengthen his position as the world number one – and practically no-one here at East Lake will either notice or care.

Nothing against the popular Englishman, it should be stressed. It’s just that the landmark victory the golf world craves and that has seemed inevitable with every passing week of his mesmerising comeback has now moved firmly into view following another stunning round from Tiger Woods on Saturday.

To think, with five days to go before the start of the 42nd Ryder Cup, Woods is poised to complete his first win in five years – and the 80th on the PGA Tour of his incredible career - while the only players who can possibly stop him are the two mainstays of Europe’s team in Rose and Rory McIlroy.

By Woods’s side on Sunday will be McIlroy, who has dreamed since he was a teenager of playing alongside his idol in the final round with a title on the line.

Woods was tied with Rose at the start of the third round of the Tour Championship but is now three shots clear of the Euro pair following a sublime 65.

There were days during Woods’s prime when we could all have gone home at this point, knowing exactly what would happen in the final round. But five years is a long time and who knows what will happen if Rory gets into one of his irresistible grooves, or Rose putts a lot better than he did on Saturday.

Woods blew everyone away with a mind-boggling five straight threes to begin. He was five clear after just seven holes. But he cooled off thereafter and McIlroy is still very much in this, as is Rose despite taking 31 putts to Woods’s 23.

As for the $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup, that is now Rose’s to win or lose. He is currently second on the FedEx list, the leader Bryson DeChambeau has faded badly, and so he could finish fourth and still win the bonus. Runner’s-up spot in the tournament would earn him a further $1 million.

With one eye on the Ryder Cup, it will have cheered captain Thomas Bjorn to see Jon Rahm in tied 4th place and Paul Casey tied 6th. He won’t be too upset either to see so many of the Americans playing tired golf, following a long run of events. In a 30 man field, Bubba Watson is tied 27th, Patrick Reed 29th and Phil Mickelson dead last following an exhausted-looking 76.

As for McIlroy, he dropped a bombshell for European golf by revealing he will begin his season in America next year for the first time. Forsaking traditional pit-stops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it is the first bleak sign of how the changing schedule and vastly increased riches on offer on the PGA Tour are going to wreak havoc for the European equivalent.

Only once since he joined the paid ranks in 2007, when injured last year, has McIlroy skipped Abu Dhabi. ‘It’s the perfect place for me to open my campaign,’ he said in January, but the landscape has shifted dramatically.

Last Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced the FedEx bonus pool will increase from $35 million to $70 million, with the leading prize going up from $10 million to $15 million.

There’s a $2 million bonus for the man who goes into the play-offs in first place – a position McIlroy wouldn’t have a hope of claiming unless he upped his numbers in America.

‘I think the changes to the PGA Tour schedule are great and will encourage the guys to play more,’ explained McIlroy. ‘I always feel like I’m behind everyone else because I play in Europe.

'I come over here for Los Angeles in February and everyone has played ten events, while that’s my first one. People will play more because of the bonus at the end of the regular season and then there’s obviously a lot of money to be had in the play-offs.’

McIlroy will play his first tournament in Hawaii in January and base himself in America until July. With an American wife and a home in Florida, it makes sense on a personal and professional level.

But it’s desperate news for Europe. The first time McIlroy will be seen at a regular European Tour event will be at the Irish Open in July – and he won’t be alone in shifting his priorities. Expect plenty more to follow his example.
In golf, Tiger Woods wins the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship for his first tour win since 2013. Justin Rose wins the season-long FedEx Cup points race and its associated US$10 million bonus.