Campbell's 1st PGA Tour victory leaves debate open

HOUSTON -- The only thing the Tour Championship settled was what everyone knew all along: Chad Campbell has the game to beat the best.

Campbell became the first player to make the Tour Championship his first victory, closing with a 3-under 68 on Sunday to break a tournament scoring record in the PGA Tour's version of the All-Star game.

"It was what I was looking for all year," said Campbell, who was a runner-up three times this year, including at the PGA Championship.

Campbell finished at 16-under 268 -- the lowest score in relation to par in the 17-year history of the Tour Championship -- to win by three shots over Charles Howell III.

Howell had a 70, ending his streak of seven rounds in the 60s at the Tour Championship. A year ago, he was in the 60s all four days at East Lake and finished second to Vijay Singh.

Retief Goosen had a 69 and was at 272, while Chris Riley -- Campbell's roommate at UNLV -- had a 70 to finish fourth.

Campbell wasn't the only winner Sunday.

Singh closed with a 68 to tie for fifth and easily won the PGA Tour money title, ending Tiger Woods' four-year reign.

"There's no holding me back if I want something," Singh said.

Woods won the points-based PGA of America Player of the Year award and the Vardon Trophy for having the lowest scoring average. He has won both awards five years in a row.

Woods also broke one of the oldest records in golf by making the cut for the 114th consecutive tournament. Byron Nelson finished in the money 113 times in a row in the 1940s.

Woods needed a victory for a record fifth straight money title. But his putter failed him throughout the week at Champions Golf Club and he closed with a 74 to finish 26th in the 31-man field of top money-winners.

It was his worst finish ever in the Tour Championship, and his score of 1-over 285 was the first time since The Players Championship in 1999 that he finished a non-major over par.

Still to be determined is the PGA Tour player of the year, a vote of the players.

The top candidates -- Singh, Woods, Davis Love III and Masters champion Mike Weir -- could have settled matters by winning this week. None came close.

Campbell bolted into the lead Saturday with a Tour Championship-record 61, then backed that up in the final round by not giving anyone a chance.

Campbell extended his lead to three strokes with a birdie on No. 2 and a three-putt bogey by Howell, and when Howell made back-to-back birdies to get within two, Campbell put a swift and decisive end to any charge.

"He's been threatening for a while," Singh said. "He's a very aggressive player. When he gets it going, like this week, there's no stopping him. We'll hear a lot more from Chad Campbell. This is not the end of it."

LPGA Tour

OTSU, Japan -- Annika Sorenstam wrapped up another LPGA Tour player of the year award Sunday and set more records along the way, winning the Mizuno Classic by nine shots for her sixth victory of the year.

Sorenstam closed with a 66 at Seta Golf Course and finished at 24-under 192, breaking the 54-hole record in relation to par by three shots.

"I would love to have that every week," Sorenstam said. "This was the first time I had no bogeys for 54 holes, and the first time I had no three-putts for 54 holes. So, I was very consistent and solid."

Sorenstam and Wendy Ward shared the previous 54-hole record of 21 under par.

The 33-year-old Swede, in her first tournament since her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame last month, won the Mizuno Classic for the third straight year.