South African Tim Clark finally ended eight frustrating years of close calls on the PGA Tour by charging past overnight leader Lee Westwood to win his maiden title at the Players Championship Sunday. An electrifying run of five birdies in six holes around the turn put Clark a stroke in front of the chasing pack on a treacherous day for scoring at the TPC Sawgrass. He coolly parred the last six holes for a flawless five-under-par 67 and a 16-under total of 272 to triumph by one shot in the tournament widely considered the “fifth major” by the players. Australian Robert Allenby birdied two of the last five holes for a 70 to finish second while world No. 4 Westwood had to settle for a tie for fourth at 12-under after dumping his tee shot into water at the 17th en route to a 74. US Open champion Lucas Glover covered the back nine in a scintillating five-under for a closing 70 and third place at 14-under. Clark, a perennial bridesmaid on the US circuit who had finished runnerup eight times in 205 career starts, fired the day's lowest round for his long-awaited breakthrough. “It has been a long time on this tour ... I just hoped it would happen one day,” the 34-year-old South African told reporters with a broad smile. “I came out today and showed what I can do on the golf course.” Phil Mickelson, who would have replaced Tiger Woods with victory Sunday, began the day five strokes off the pace and ended it nine adrift after battling to a topsy-turvy 74. Woods created a stir earlier in the day when he withdrew from the tournament after completing six holes of his final round, citing a painful neck. Woods unsure when he will play again Tiger Woods is unsure when he will play golf again after a painful neck injury forced him to quit the Players Championship in Florida Sunday. The world No. 1 said he would undergo scans this week to determine the full extent of the problem. “A lot is up in the air still, which I don't like,” Woods told a news conference in Pennsylvania Monday. “I still need to go home and get a picture of this and see what's going on.” The American said he had been troubled by neck pain since returning from self-imposed exile at last month's US Masters but added it was not related to the car crash outside his home last year that led to revelations about his infidelities. “Zero connection. Absolutely zero,” said Woods. “My neck started to bother me when I really started to practice a lot.” Woods finished tied fourth on his return from a five-month absence at Augusta National but has struggled since, missing the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina before pulling out during his final round at Sawgrass Sunday. “I can deal with the pain but once it locked up I couldn't move back or through. I couldn't actually turn, going back, and I couldn't turn coming through,” he said.
