Late charge carries Tiger to win

Two holes, two towering shots, two clutch birdies.

Just like that, Tiger Woods broke out of a four-way tie and won the Memorial on Sunday with a 7-under 65 to cap a high-charged comeback. And just as suddenly, he silenced the skeptics who wondered if he was ready to defend his title in the U.S. Open in two weeks at Bethpage Black.

"I knew I could do this," Woods said after birdies on the final two holes gave him a one-shot victory. "I was close to winning, but the game wasn't quite there when I really needed it on Sunday. I rectified that."

First came a 9-iron at No. 17 that Woods launched as high as he could, allowing the ball to land softly on the top shelf of a rock-hard green for a 9-foot birdie putt. More brilliance followed on the 18th, when Woods hit a 7-iron from 183 yards that stopped a foot from the hole, wrapping up his fourth title at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

Then came a bold observation by tournament host Jack Nicklaus. He had said earlier in the week that Woods, with 14 career majors, probably would break his record of 18 majors in a couple of years.

"I suspect No. 15 will come for Tiger Woods in about two weeks," Nicklaus said at the trophy presentation. "If he drives the ball this way, and plays this way, I'm sure it will. And if not, it will surprise me greatly."

There were no surprises Sunday for Woods, the best sign of all.

He hit the ball where he was aiming and found every fairway in the final round, the first time he had done that on the PGA Tour in more than five years. He missed only five fairways all week, his best performance off the tee since the 1998 Masters.

LPGA Tour

In-Kyung Kim birdied two of the final three holes to beat Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak by a stroke in the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.

Kim shot a 7-under 65 to finish at 17-under 271 on the Panther Creek course, giving the 20-year-old South Korean player her second LPGA Tour victory along with a big boost heading into the LPGA Championship next week at Bulle Rock.

In the process, Kim denied Pak (66) her first win in two years.

Champions Tour

Bernhard Langer became the first three-time winner on the Champions Tour this season, closing with a 5-under 67 for a six-stroke victory over Mark O'Meara in the Triton Financial Classic in Lakeway, Texas.

The German star, a seven-time winner since joining the Champions Tour late in the 2007 season, finished at 15-under 201 on The Hills Country Club course, matching the tournament record.