Tiger Woods wins The Memorial with stunning final few holes

WATCH NOW: See the shot  by Tiger Woods that Jack Nicklaus describes as "the most unbelievable gutsy shot I've ever seen".

Tiger Woods

TIGER Woods has captured his 73rd career PGA victory - equalling the great Jack Nicklaus - with a stunning final round at The Memorial Tournament in Ohio this morning.

Woods joins Jack Nicklaus, the designer and host at Muirfield, in second place on the US PGA all-time wins list after he shot a five under 67 final round to beat Rory Sabbatini and Andres Romero.

The now five-time Memorial champion holed an incredible chip shot for birdie from 15m and thick rough on the 16th hole on his way to an nine-under par 279 total.

Aaron Baddeley was the best-placed Australian, finishing seven shots behind Woods in a tie for ninth.

"That was the most unbelievable gutsy shot I've ever seen,'' Nicklaus said of Woods' flopped chip in late in the round.

"If he is short the tournament is over, if he's long the tournament is over and he put it in the hole.'

"I've seen a lot of shots in golf. I don't think I've seen a better one.''

Woods, who moves up to world No.4 following the triumph, admitted it was a nerve-wracking shot.

"It was one of the hardest ones I've pulled off. It came out just perfect,'' he said.

"The shot was really difficult. I went for it. I pulled it off. It just fell in. I didn't think it was going to get there at one point.''

The 14-time major champion started his run with a birdie on the second hole and then really warmed the galleries up with three in a row between the fifth and seventh holes to pull within one of the lead.

The loud roars were tempered with bogeys on the eighth and 10th holes and he failed to make birdie from two metres on the 11th, making his push tougher.

But the Tiger of old appeared in the clutch with three birdies in the final four holes.

He gained a shot on the 15th, and then produced one of his career best on 16. The roars reverberated around the entire course and playing in the group behind Sabbatini bogeyed the 16th to hand the outright lead to Woods, a place he wouldn't relinquish.

A stunning approach shot and subsequent birdie on the last stamped an exclamation mark on the win.

"Boy I hit it good today,'' Woods said.

"That was some really good golf out there. I never really misses a shot today.

"It's awfully special to have won this event and tie Jack at 73 wins at such a young age, it feels really special."

Baddeley made an early charge for an unlikely victory before a terrible tee shot on the 10th ruined his chances and started a downward spiral.

A three under front nine had the Victorian as high as a tie for third in his quest for a fourth US PGA win but as the ball sailed out of bounds on the 10th his challenge died.

The resulting double bogey dropped him six back from the lead and when he backed it up with bogeys on the following two holes it was all over.

Greg Chalmers (+4), Nick O'Hern (+4), Rod Pampling (+5), Adam Scott (+5), Robert Allenby (+8), Geoff Ogilvy (+9) and Marc Leishman (+9) were all well off the pace.

LEADERBOARD:
Tiger Woods -9
Andres Romero -7
Rory Sabbatini -7
Daniel Summerhays -5
Spencer Levin -5
Jonathan Byrd -4
Matt Every -4
Justin Rose -3
Aaron Baddeley -2