Woods Again Makes Final Round His Own

To keep Tiger Woods from reaching his stated goal, which this week was to be “the greedy host” at the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club, future guests will have to bring more than just their natural gifts. On a gray and unseasonably cool Sunday, Woods showed the golfers who sought to beat him that his own competitive fires burn white hot — guests or no guests.

To the two young stars who threw rounds of 62 at him — Anthony Kim in the first round and Hunter Mahan in the last — Woods’s response was a final-round 67 for a one-stroke victory over Mahan, 27, and a four-stroke win over Kim, 24. Nice try, kids, but not good enough.

And Michael Allen, thanks for coming. Allen, the 50-year-old winner of last month’s Senior P.G.A. Championship, began the day one stroke back, raising his own hopes and those of senior players everywhere. But he struggled early and shot 74 to finish tied for 11th.

Then, demonstrating his own resolve to his good friend Roger Federer, whose win at Wimbledon on Sunday was a record 15th Grand Slam men’s singles title, Woods sent a text message before teeing off that said: “Great going. Now it’s my turn.”

Woods, 33, was referring to Sunday’s victory, his 68th on the PGA Tour, which he cemented with a birdie at the 16th hole to slap away Mahan’s astounding final round. As for his own 15th Grand Slam title, that will have to wait at least two weeks until the British Open in Turnberry, Scotland.