Golf:Tiger Woods has set his sights on Sam Snead's record number of PGA Tour wins after going second on the all-time list last night. Woods beat Bo Van Pelt to the AT&T National title at Congressional for his 74th PGA Tour win, moving him clear in second and ahead of Jack Nicklaus.
With two holes to play, the two were neck and neck but Van Pelt could not hold it together, bogeying twice, allowing Woods to seal a Tour-leading third title of the year by two strokes with a pair of pars.
Woods immediately targeted more tournament wins after passing Nicklaus on the PGA list, with Snead - on 82 victories - the only man ahead of the 36-year-old.
"I've had a pretty good career," he said. "To do it at 36, I feel like I have a lot of years ahead of me. I've had a number of good years in my career so far, and I feel like I've got a lot more ahead of me. It feels great to get to 74 wins and obviously pass Jack. It's something I'm very proud of."
The American has also triumphed in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament this year, with his win in the former ending a run of two and a half years without a PGA Tour success.
After troubles in his personal life, a loss of form and making changes to his swing action during that period, many felt Woods' best days were behind him but he has now won three times in his last seven starts.
"I remember there was a time when people were saying I could never win again. That was, I think, what, six months ago," Woods added. "A lot of media people didn't think I could win again, and I had to deal with those questions for quite a bit. It was just a matter of time. I could see the pieces coming together. Sean (swing coach Sean Foley) and I were working, and we see what's coming, and we can see the consistency, and it's just a matter of time.
"Just stay the course, and if you look at my ball-striking so far this year, it's gotten more and more consistent."
Woods is yet to convince the doubters he is back to his best but a major win at the Open, which gets under way at Royal Lytham later this month, would go a long way to quietening his detractors.
Asked whether he thinks he can triumph, Woods said: "It's going to be totally different shot making and prep.
"I'm going to have to start practising some different shots and getting used to hitting the ball a little bit lower, a little bit more flighted. It's a totally different game playing links golf. But I still have to have the ability to get the ball up in the air. That's something that we're going to work on."
