Crazy Sunday at Sawgrass ends with deserving champ

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Henrik Stenson and caddie Fanny Sunesson enjoyed their victorious stroll down the final fairway.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- When was the last time Tiger Woods -- playing in the last group -- was an afterthought?

After nine holes. OK. Ten.

Inside the Numbers

Stenson's Final Stats

Category Total Rank Eagles 1 T4 Birdies 18 T6 Pars 45 T18 Bogeys 8 T65 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 73.2% T11 Driving Distance 294.8 yds. 18 Greens in Regulation 68.1% T12 Putts per Round 27.5 T14 Putts per GIR 1.735 32 Sand Saves 42.9% T37

And his signature moment? We'd love to say it was just about stiffing it at 17 -- he missed the putt -- but, honestly? It was that face he made after a birdie at 16. A raspberry. Complete with tongue sticking out, head shake and geez-louise on his face.

He wanted fairways and his clubs gave him spinners to the right. No matter where he aimed. He'd been working miracles all week, but Sunday? It all went poof.

Alex Cejka fading? When you're 267th in the world, holding a five-shot lead on the field, haven't won a PGA TOUR event and haven't won, period, since 2002, it's honestly all but a given. But Tiger not only not being able to kick it into another gear and fly right by but getting left in the dust?

Yes, it was a very strange day here at the Stadium Course. The greens were concrete and balls were cracking off them like they were cart paths. Dry and 14-ish on the Stimpmeter, the pictures from the blimp made them look like those sun-damaged face shots in Coppertone ads.

It felt like 110 in the shade, which might explain why some of those balls drove into the water. Combine that with the pressure of playing for the Waterford and five-year exemption, and wild swings on the leaderboard -- think Cejka who started the day five up and finished eight shots back for a 13-shot differential -- and it was one crazy E-ticket ride.

And the winner? Perfectionist Henrik Stenson. Yes, the man who grabbed attention at Doral this spring when he stripped to his white BOSS boxer-briefs to hit a shot on the third hole. And the man who walked off the K Club course outside Dublin in 2001 to contemplate his future.

And, Sunday, the man who turned in a performance eerily similar to what we've come to expect from Tiger.

The Swede was simply flawless. He took a five-shot deficit and sprinted to a four-shot win at THE PLAYERS Championship. He closed with a bogey-free 66 and broke through a logjam of players -- some you know, most you don't -- that kept taking one step forward, then two steps back.

That he won wasn't a surprise. He's tested and tough and a fabulous in match play. He came in ranked ninth in the world and -- at one time -- was ranked as high as fifth. Coincidentally, he's back up to fifth after his victory.

That he didn't have to take down Tiger to do it? Uh, yeah.

Instead of the best player in the world, Stenson plowed through John Mallinger, Kevin Na and Ben Crane, and stayed just far enough ahead of his Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter, who once had a share of the lead, to make him wonder what he had to do.

This one was a free-for-all. Once Cejka started backing up -- he dropped four shots in five holes -- it was anyone's tournament.

Maybe we should have figured it out when the first player off -- Aaron Baddeley -- flew around the course in just over three hours, shot 66 and went from eight back to a share of ninth. Or when Vijay Singh closed with a 67 -- he birdied three of the last six holes -- and cracked a smile.

"I came here this week thinking I was a member,'' he said, "but I played like a guest.''

By the time Stenson got to the 17th tee, it was all over. He was up by four with two to play and he and caddie Fanny Sunesson were chatting in Swedish.

"I think it's the only part of the telecast Elin Woods (a Swede) is enjoying,'' NBC's Johnny Miller quipped.

We get the feeling he was right.

Stenson made this one look easy -- almost as if he was playing another course.

"It was Sawgrass, I promise you,'' he said. "I just managed my game very well.''

And impressed Tiger.

"Pretty incredible,'' Tiger said of Stenson's no-bogey 66. "He played great. We all know he's got all the talent in the world to do this. It was just a matter of time before he put it together. To do it on this stage was pretty impressive.''

And to do it on a wild day?

Stenson may be an iceman on the course, but he's got a dry sense of humor off it.

Where did his sense of humor come from? "When you grow up being chased by polar bears ..." Yes, he grinned.

Thanks to his briefs moment, Stenson got called baby more than a few times Sunday, but it -- you can't be surprised on this crazy day -- was someone on his shoulder that kept him focused.

"You know, the mind always wants to play some tricks on you when you're up there, and it's a great tournament to win, this one, and obviously there's somebody sitting on your shoulder there coming into the back nine that wants to throw a few passes at you,'' he said. "And you want to fight him off and stick to business and do the right things.''

What does the somebody say?

"It's looking pretty good right now, you're two ahead and it's looking pretty good,'' Stenson said. I'm like, yeah, it is, but we've got six holes to go or something like that. Stay off my back.''

It worked.

As for the rest of Sunday's cast? Poulter moved a step closer to a win and you can get ready to see a bit more of Mallinger, Na, Crane and Cejka.

Which brings us full circle to Tiger and those spinners. They got our attention Sunday, but, trust us, they've had his. And with three full weeks to work on it before he heads to The Memorial, an event he's won five times?

"I'll fix it,'' he said. "When you're playing a golf course like this and you don't have it and the greens are this fast and this hard, you can shoot some pretty high numbers.''

Sunday, his 73 seemed more like an 83. Maybe we should have seen it coming when that drive dove into the bushes -- er, native area -- on the second hole or when the next shot went into the water.

Mama -- or was it Pete Dye? -- said there'd be days like this. Days filled with Tiger's raspberries and spinners, 13- or more shot swings, rock-hard greens, voices on shoulders and -- last but not least -- one flawless 66.

And one impressive winner. Just not the one we expected.