It was a lot more meaningful the way Mcllroy won

For him being No. 1, Woods said of McIlroy, it's proof of how consistent he's been. That's that which you want to do.

After signing his scorecard, Woods got a bite to nibble on inside clubhouse, where he divided his attention from a television tuned for the Lakers-Heat game then one showing the policy of McIlroy's finish.

Woods, 36, led area of in whole driving ?athe very first time he led in that category since his last tour win in the 2009 BMW Championship ?a and made a Ping G15 Hybrids great deal of putts. His round Sunday bolstered his belief that better days are ahead.

I felt like I've been close to shooting this score or scores similar to this, said Woods, who had closed which has a 75 in their previous stroke-play event, at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Inside tournament before that, inside the United Arab Emirates, Woods posted a final-round 72.

Woods's name for the leader board once rattled the nervous systems of his competitors. But McIlroy did not blink or budge when Woods made an eagle and two birdies on the front nine, because both versions elicited thunderous applause through the throng tailing him.

McIlroy's playing partner, Tom Gillis, a 43-year-old journeyman who's 71 fewer tour titles than Woods, would not blink, either. Gillis closed Ping K15 Hybrids using a 69 to tie Woods at 270.

On Saturday, Gillis dismissed the idea that any golfer may be cowed by another. I always have a remove of that; everybody always talks about how intimidating Tiger is, he was quoted saying. And I'm thinking, he's an excellent player, but it's not like we need to stand there toe foot.

Even in the crucible of competition, McIlroy finds as approachable, which perhaps explains why one fan in the third round asked him what shampoo he used.

After Sunday's round, McIlroy was asked how much time he could stay where he or she is, meaning at golf's summit. He understood the question but chose discount golf clubs to have a very little fun. Glancing at his watch being a man in a rush capture a flight ticket to Nyc, that he was, he explained, Fifteen minutes?