bingo. it was on the money. >> tap-in birdie overshadowed just a bit graeme mcdowell's birdie as well. you can see tiger's mark on the opposite side. mcdowell made his to stay four back of tiger. both golfers have shot three rounds in the 60s. tiger is plus 2 today. mcdowell working on a 2 under number right now. tiger will play first with his second. >> he's got 183 yards. to the hole. >> mcdowell, near 147 for the second. >> mcdowell really powered that 3 wood hit. main issue for tiger right here

is the ball is well below his feet. >> help him move it a little left to right, which is not a bad thing in this situation. really we're at match play right now, just the two of them. and tiger playing first. has a great opportunity to hit a good shot and ratchet up the pressure on mcdowell. >> the guy has made a living in the past in these moments. the guy that seemingly rose to the occasion every single time. so much has changed since we last saw all those magical shots from tiger. >> tattack approach. how about that? emotion from tiger. he must feel and say to himself,

it's about time. will this potential birdie close out mcdowell? we'll see. >> you can see him shaping in a little left to right. just another wonderful shot here. wow! it's the moment he's been waiting for. >> look at that. think it's not important to him? >> the moment that he has been waiting for, the heat of the moment, to deliver with it all on the line. now mcdowell with a chance the answer. >> 147 yards, as you guys talked about. three yards of a backstop beyond. just a touch of breeze helping. >> a murmur among the crowd here, just wondering what mcdowell has left to answer that brilliant second by tiger.

>> headed left. >> it's headed left. comes down just a bit. but a huge advantage for tiger. tell you what, if that ball came back and on to the right level, that's a makeable attempt. >> hear the crowd as tiger's second shot goes on the big screen. it seems like old times, rog. it seems like old times to us. crouching tiger.

thirsty for the win. and you can hear graeme mcdowell saying nice shot, mate. he's waited a long time for this scene. the longest winless drought of his professional career. the last victory anywhere was at the 2009 australian masters, november 15th, 2009. 378 days ago. there it is. longest stretches between wins. by far the longest drought. just 12 days later, the infamous accident, thanksgiving night, 2009, which put his world in the

topsy-t topsy-turvy zone. answered every single question you can imagine about the bizarre night, bizarre happenings. now here he is perhaps at the beginning of another great stretch of golf. you have to start somewhere. and at your own tournament i'm sure it would be incredibly satisfying for tiger. trying to win here for the fifth time. >> mr. mcdowell has something to say about that. still, he does have a makeable attempt here. >> he can make tiger's putt seem a whole lot longer, roger. >> oh, yes, he can. >> it's a touch up hill, not a crazy amount of break. >> let's face it, 2010, everything has gone graeme mcdowell's way. ryder cup, u.s. open.

>> what a year tiger had. he's got a lot of good vibes to pull from. >> and if he can drop one on the man himself in the 72nd hole, 2010 for graeme mcdowell, would get even more remarkably better. hard to imagine how it could, but here we are. a chance to birdie first at 18 to get to 16 under. it's been that kind of year for him.

we knew 2010 would be hard to forget for mcdowell. just got even harder to forget. this is what tiger used to do all the time. but hasn't had done against him that often. >> the tables have turned. can tiger make this little putt to force the playoff? >> it was tiger's start today that led to this point, missing those three putts of inside five feet. >> this would be absolutely crushing after this entire day of back and forth and ups and downs. the stuff you approached on and to miss this.

>> for the second straight day, they both birdie 18. i guess it's three. and they will go back to this 18th hole for the first playoff in the 12-year history at the chevron world challenge. just when you think tiger is going to write the script again at 18, that personable guy from ireland steps in and changes it all. they're going to a playoff at 18. tiger outplays this the round to get himself into the playoff.

as we get ready for the playoff for the first time in history. we go back to the early portion. tiger began the day with a four-shot lead. never had he ever blown a lead of more than three in an event. did not get off to a good start. three putts the opening ring as his lead is trimmed to three. mcdowell's third at the par 5 second from the bunker cuts into the tiger lead, or tries to even more. that ends up being a birdie for mcdowell. tiger reached the par 5 and 2 putted to stay three ahead. tiger, another par at the third. roger's putter was shaky. >> well, that's never a way to start the round and hard to get confidence in your putting after that. >> he was up by just two. then talk about a couple good approaches by both at the fourth. tiger with his second first. but he has a good look at

birdie. then graeme mcdowell steps in to answer that from 1:44. >> talk about dead at it. this one rattled to the flag and flag stick. >> gets the stick from both sides of the cup. tiger was first to stroke it. and wasn't even close. mcdowell had a chance at that point to get just one behind, which he made. so tiger now at the par 5, 13 after they traded pars from then on to this par 5. tiger's way over the green. and then the fifth shot at this par 5. and that would result in a double bogey, birdie for mcdowell on the same hole. a three-shot swing and mcdowell's advantage and he had a two-shot lead. par 4, 14th, mcdowell off the tee.

>> big slice that ended up taking some time to locate. as a matter of fact, he had to hit a provisional ball. >> so tiger was within one. then at the par 3, 17th, mcdowell still actually would be tied for the lead after this shot. would make an unbelievable four from there, though. and so then they would be tied going into 18. just like yesterday, tiger is staring down the flag stick at 18. >> a little cut-in here. dead stiff. great stuff. >> mcdowell's approach was outside of tiger's, and he would putt for birdie first. >> what a year it's been for this man, who has been so clutch. so many clutch this year. and one more. >> at pebble beach, celtic manor

and sherwood at a season-ending event. so tiger woods, tap-in birdie for a final round 73 to keep his hopes alive. and winning for the first tim . since 378 days ago. so they head to the tee at 18. >> hey, guys. good play. >> 18 and 17. >> mr. john watson, ceo and chairman of chevron corporation. >> graeme, you finished first. you get to draw first. >> tiger, you have the honor.

gentlemen, play well. >> you heard mark russell, pga tour official. you heard the play on holes. mcdowell, by the way, when he finished off that birdie at 18, became the only player in the field of outline four rounds of the 60s this week. impressive play by mcdowell, who, again, had to erase the four-shot deficit to get in to play tiger. >> again, with the fairway wood here. obviously both these guys have good memories. they both birdied the last two times they played it. one step at a time. first mission, get the ball in the fairway. get it in position. >> tiger does have an advantage on the par fours. six under. graeme mcdowell, just one under. >> one thing you don't want to do is lose the ball right off the tee.

mistake up the left side. the fairway does slope left to right. you can get a mistake there maybe to the left. not to the right. that's trouble. boy, he started that down the right-hand side and drawing right back. that was a very aggressive line. >> i don't believe that can be but a couple yards from where he drove it earlier. >> graeme mcdowell must feel like he's in a dream that he doesn't want to wake up from. >> yeah. not the kind of year you don't want to see them end. >> can't we just keep playing? >> and that's headed up the right side.

it's going to need a bounce. >> sit off the tree. very fortunate there. >> yeah. pretty good break for graeme mcdowell. as they play the first playoff hole in the 12th chevron world challenge. equipment financing... to commercial real estate... to the personal banking needs of every employee. u.s. bank offers the expertise and stability you deserve. whether your business is global or your world is local. you don't just get one of us, you get all of us serving you. u.s. bank.

he might be on the verge of being harder to look away from than he ever has before. because of all the extraordinary things woods has accomplished, this could be his finest. to pick himself up and rebuild his game from the ground up. forget all the other stuff. in terms of golf, 2010 for woods was unspeakably horrible. nine times he's won the pga scoring title.

he had never before finished lower than third place. this year his average was 113th on the list. one good week doesn't make a comeback but it might make a beginning. how tantalizing. if he follows his usual schedule we won't see him until torrey pines. did we see a good run at the end of a winning streak or the beginning of something else entirely. >> thank you, jimmy. roger, 2011 is the key here for tiger. he turns 35 at the end of this month. you don't want to put too much emphasis on any in particular. but the 2011 season, i think, if tiger is going to be back to where he was, we have to start seeing real consistent signs of that. >> no question about that. he's had great resolve. he's making progress. and i believe it will be a great

2011 for him. i do. i think he will have a great comeback year. >> certainly in the tail end of 2010 bodes well for that. we'll see what bodes well for him here in this tournament. mcdowell will play first from first cut. >> good lie in the first cut. 175 yards. definitely a hook lie to a flag. you would rather have the ball going the opposite direction. >> not one would be particularly comfortable. >> i wouldn't think so, rog. >> how about this, the sun's out. poled it on the 71st hole. poled here at the 72nd hole. kind of got away with it a little bit. >> he was kind of jumping up the fairway, trying to get his legs to come back to life again.

this is just barely left of the flag stick. >> just about the same he just holed. >> seen that before. tiger hoping for the same putt as he had at the 72nd hole. they haven't been very long here the last two days at 18. >> no. he's just a little farther ahead in the fairway. 168 but the same lie. >> tiger in that sunday red when it finally means something, when he's finally in contention.

>> remains as committed. >> looked to be a good strike. inside mcdowell. not as tight as they have been the last two days but certainly another good-looking birdie by both. once again, trying to end it at the chevron world challenge. (high-pitched laughter) man: hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood! vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

no one has left sherwood. the crowd cheers tyinger and graeme mcdowell, once again to the 18th hole. and here is the only look and

reason you need to know why tiger has made this comeback, because you just can't replace feelings like this. no amount of money will replace that kind of feel in coming through. >> he lives for it. he's alive right now. every part of his being. >> similar spot, we mentioned, where mcdowell made his birdie in the final hole of regulation. and this was the putt that got in before tiger's did. so much emphasis. and we talked a lot about tiger this week. tell you what, graeme mcdowell, he made so many more believers in the ryder cup at celtic manor. i believe there's been a heck of a lot more people that jumped on

the g-mack band wagon. >> something tells me he's not going to be the most consistent player in the world. he's going to have ups and downs. when he's a great competitor. >> likable personality. >> wonderful. >> he got it! wow! the dream just got more hard to believe. last three times at 18 he's dreamed it. and this just might be the final

stake unless tiger can match him this time. on the first playoff hole. tiger has got a 15-2 career record in playoffs around the world, just two losses in l.a. in '98 and '06 at the dunlap phoenix. now has it all carely on his shoulders to see if he can conjure it all up again and send it to another playoff hole. >> i get that feeling like the playoff he had with bob may and the pga championship. hole in putts. >> if he points this one to the hole -- >> i'm telling you, this is fun. >> talked about how he lived for the moment we just saw when he hit that approach. >> yeah. you think back to all these moments, all those times at bay hill where we have seen him make putts, torrey pines u.s. open

last hole. here we are again. must have. >> incredibly mcdowell survived the playoff and come back on tiger woods. his first victory in more than a year at tiger's tournament, the chevron world challenge. this final sunday. win number four for the man from northern ireland. and tiger woods will have to

wait until 2011 for that elusive first victory in this winless drought. let's go down to dottie pepper. >> graeme, you did something today no one has done. leading by four going into the last round and you beat him. can you imagine 2010 would have turneded out the way it actually has? >> it's just been an amazing year. i can't say enough about it. you know, this is dream stuff this afternoon. to be playing alongside the greatest golfer that's ever played, you know, kind of in his own backyard a little bit, i suppose. just to have the chance to beat him, it's amazing. he's a great guy. great to see him back. and i'm ecstatic right now. >> birdied at 18 three times in a row. >> i thought 13 was pretty amazing yesterday. the four on 17 was something else as well. you know, i just tugged that 8 iron. it was only literally 15 feet

from the hole but it was a horrible spot. the mack 4 there. and what i did on the last grown. wow. it's been that kind of year. >> phenomenal year. graeme, thank you. >> thank you, dottie. >> tiger, when you look back on this day, what will you remember most? >> i fought hard. i fought hard today. i was hitting pretty good. i had a loss of my swing. then wasps built it back together again, pieced it back together again. it was close. we had a good battle out there. >> did that last hour feel good just to be in the position again? yeah, it did. i felt like i was right there. graeme was in control most of the day and flipped it on 13. then made a couple mistakes coming in. we made two good birdies in regulation and a great putt in the playoff. >> in your wildest imagination could you think graeme mcdowell would hold that putt twice? >> absolutely. either way i had to make my putt

both times. that's what you have to believe. did it surprise me? absolutely not. >> thanks, tiger. >> thank you. >> what a day, as tiger finishes the 2010 season winless after losing the largest final round lead of his career. so the search goes on for tiger's win. what a year for graeme mcdowell. comes back from the four-shot deficit, buries the birdie at 18 again to slip by tiger woods. well, we move on to greg more than's shark shoot jut from naples, florida. graeme mcdowell will be part of that. that's saturday on nbc. coming up next, except on the west coast, local news. tonight, nbc sunday night is football night as steelers take on the ravens. live coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. what a week at sherwood.