Woods still holds strings

Woods said he wasn't even aware he had performed his cap-slamming routine he was so intent on making that putt.

"I don't know how it came off, but it came off," he said.

Victories in his streak have come in all sizes, and Bay Hill was an intriguing one. It's the first time Woods birdied the last hole to win a tournament since he beat Phil Mickelson, also at Bay Hill, in 2001.

Woods began the year at Torrey Pines with an eight-shot victory that set a tournament record. He won the Match Play in Arizona with the biggest last-match blowout in tournament history. Then he wins at Bay Hill with his biggest last-hole heroics in seven years.

How does this all add up? In victories, apparently. Since the 2006 British Open, Woods has won 16 of the 25 PGA Tour events he has played, or 64%.

He has won five straight on the PGA Tour, six straight if you count Dubai and seven straight if you count the unofficial Target World Challenge. With 64 victories, he's tied with Ben Hogan for third on the PGA Tour's all-time list, behind only Sam Snead with 82 and Jack Nicklaus with 73.

But right now, it's all about streaks. There are only five winning streaks in PGA Tour history of at least five straight, and Woods has three of them. Byron Nelson won 11 straight in 1945, Woods won seven straight in 2006-07, Hogan won six straight in 1948, Woods won six in a row in 1999-2000 and now there's Woods' streak of five straight that he takes to Doral.

It should be quite a week. And what if he does win, and shows up at the Masters with a six-pack of victories?

This is the year when Woods said winning all four majors was within reason. This is also the year when Woods said winning every tournament he played was his intention.

He can't do that, can he? Maybe not, but the way things are going for Woods, he doesn't seem to be backing off much.

--

The final-round coverage of Woods' victory at Bay Hill on NBC earned a 4.2 overnight rating and a nine share, an increase of 68% over last year (2.5/5) and the best final-round overnight for the tournament in six years. Saturday's third-round coverage on NBC earned a 2.3 rating. Last year it was 1.9.

--

thomas.bonk@latimes.com