Down the stretch, everything changed.

He made a 10-foot birdie on the 14th, saved par with a 15-foot putt on the next hole, and got in range with pitch to 2 feet for birdie on the 16th. And with everything riding on one shot, he nailed his 6-iron to birdie range.

Any other week, any other course, Woods making that putt was practically a given.

This one never had a chance.

“Usually, he makes it,” Slocum said. “Ho-hum for him. I guess you can’t make ’em all.”

Els played bogey-free and pulled into a tie for the lead with a birdie on the par-3 14th. He might have been hurt using a new driver, after discovering a crack in his other one on Saturday. Els felt his tee shots were getting away to the right, and he didn’t want to risk such a mistake on the par-4 16th, which played only 287 yards in the final round. He laid up and made par.

“From where I’ve come from, where my game has been, where my confidence has been, this is moving in the right direction,” said Els, who has not won since March 2008 at the Honda Classic.

Harrington continued his solid form, getting into the mix for the third straight tournament. He finished with four birdies over the final seven holes, making a long birdie at the 18th.

The final round featured endless possibilities, except for the guys atop the leaderboard.

Steve Marino and Paul Goydos, tied for the lead at 9 under to start the final round, and Webb Simpson and Fredrik Jacobson, both two shots behind, combined to go 11-over par. Marino shot 77, while Goydos made only one birdie in his round of 75.

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