Tiger Woods holds the trophy after the final round of the ZOZO Championship on Monday in Chiba, Japan. Photo: VCG

 

Tiger Woods made golf history Monday when he won the Zozo Championship in Japan for his 82nd US PGA Tour victory - equalling Sam Snead's 54-year-old record and adding to his long list of achievements.

The 15-time major winner held off the challenge of home favorite Hideki Matsuyama to win by three shots at the weather-­delayed tournament, his first outing since arthroscopic left knee surgery in August.

Woods broke into a huge smile after he birdied the 18th to complete a three-under final round of 67 and finish 19 under par at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

"It's just crazy. It's a lot," the 43-year-old Woods said of his 82nd official PGA Tour victory. His first came 23 years ago this month in Las Vegas, when he was 20.

"It's been a long week, five days at the top of the board is a long time. It was definitely stressful," said Woods, who pocketed a check for 1.755 million pounds ($2.25 million).

Woods led from gun to tape in the inaugural US PGA Tour event in Japan, which saw Friday's play washed out by the fringes of a typhoon that dumped almost 10 inches (25 centimers) of rain on the course 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Tokyo, forcing play into an extra day.

"It's about consistency and doing it for a long period of time," Woods said of tying Snead, who died in 2002 four days before his 90th birthday.

"Sam did it into his fifties and I'm in my early to mid-40s. I've been very fortunate to have had the career I've had so far."

Woods resumed his final round, suspended due to darkness on Sunday, at 7:30 am on the long par-12th but saw his overnight three-shot cushion over Matsuyama immediately cut to two.

Matsuyama inexplicably spurned an easy opportunity to reduce the deficit to one as he missed a four-foot (1.2-meter) birdie putt on 14, but Woods made no mistake on the same green from 20 feet. 

Woods missed a further birdie chance, from 10 feet, at the 15th and was watching from the 16th tee 181 yards (165.5 meters) away as Matsuyama walked in a 20-­footer to get to 16-under.

Matsuyama kept up the pressure but on the ­final hole his bunker shot flew past the flag and when he missed the long putt back his brave challenge ended at 16-under for the tournament after a final-round 67.

"This was big," said a smiling Woods. 

"Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than what people probably thought.

"It was a very long week because I was tied for the lead for the better part of five days. I made a mistake right away at 11 and it became a pretty good ball game."

World No.2 Rory McIlroy finished birdie-birdie for a 67 and a share of third place on 13 ­under par with South Korea's PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Im Sung-jae, who carded a fine five-under 65.