• The Players Championship, Round Four

Woods seals second Sawgrass triumph

The Players Championship leaderboard

Tiger Woods continued his impressive year as he won his second Players Championship title at Sawgrass by two shots - but the world No. 1 was aided by problems Sergio Garcia encountered on the penultimate hole.

The pair were involved in a thrilling finale to the event as they traded birdies on the back nine holes. However, the end the crowd had hoped to see did not materialise as Garcia suffered on the infamous 17th hole when he found the water twice.

Woods had a two-shot lead by the 13th, but a double bogey after landing in the water off the tee at the next meant there was a four-way tie at the top with Garcia, Jeff Maggert and overnight leader David Lingmerth.

Woods though kept his cool to seal victory on 13-under and a fourth title of 2013, ahead of Kevin Streelman, Maggert and Lingmerth on 11-under. Garcia finished six shots off Woods.

The second hole saw Woods make his first birdie of the day - where he was accused by Garcia on Saturday of a lack of respect when generating cheers from the crowd for pulling out a club and apparently distracting the Spaniard. Woods set up the birdie with a fine approach shot to the green from 90 yards to land four feet from the hole.

Another birdie arrived on the fourth, this time from seven feet when his approach was superbly played from 120 yards.

Lingmerth kept with Woods at the top of the leaderboard, but the Swede began to fall back as the front nine holes drew to a close.

Tiger Woods kept his cool towards the end to seal victory © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Woods' TPC antics 'lacked character'
  
• News: Tiger needles Sergio: It's nice to rise to the occasion
  
• Profile: Sergio Garcia | Tiger Woods

Despite a bogey on the par-four sixth, Woods opened a two-shot advantage when he completed the first nine, and it was Maggert who emerged as the challenger one hole ahead.

Woods narrowly missed out on a 40-foot birdie on the tenth as the deficit was reduced to one shot, but the American reclaimed his two-stroke gap with an excellent birdie from 15-feet on the 12th hole.

The lead was slashed on the 14th hole when Woods horribly hit his tee-shot into the water, and the world No. 1 could not avoid dropping two shots when he failed to limit the damage with his bogey putt from six feet. Woods' woes in the water put him level on 12-under with Garcia, Lingmerth and Maggert.

Garcia missed the opportunity to lead when he was inches away from a birdie on the same hole, but Maggert saw his hopes of a triumph disappear when he landed in the water on the penultimate hole and registered a double bogey.

Woods, crucially, secured a birdie on the 16th to take the outright lead, but Garcia matched Woods and went level at the top. Woods dodged the danger of the infamous 17th; however, Garcia was not so lucky, as twice the Spaniard found the water - the second when the ball unluckily bounced off dry land, and his dreams of winning a second title at Sawgrass disappeared rather like the two balls in the water.

Lingmerth handed the initiative to Woods when the 25-year-old kissed the rim of the 17th hole for birdie, and with a one-shot lead Woods stroked home a par to finish with a two-under 70, and more importantly, the trophy.

Elsewhere, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy ended the tournament on seven-under. The Northern Irishman recorded a two-under 70 on the final day which consisted of three bogeys and five birdies.

Lee Westwood also finished the event on seven-under.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.