PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Just when Paul Casey believed he was a winner in the Valspar Championship, he looked up at the TV and saw a scene that was all too familiar.
Tiger Woods, red shirt blazing on a Sunday, holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of Innisbrook's Copperhead Course, pulling within a shot of Casey's lead. Moments later, Woods settled over a birdie putt from just inside 40 feet that would have forced a playoff.
Paul Casey holds up the champion's trophy after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 11, 2018, in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)"I loved his putt on 17. That was amazing," Casey said. "I thought he was going to hole the one on 18."
Not this time. Not yet. A long victory drought on the PGA Tour ended, just not the one most people - Casey included - were expecting.
Casey rallied from five shots behind. He ran off three straight birdies early on the back nine, closed with a 6-under-par 65 and won by one shot when Patrick Reed had a 45-foot putt roll back to his feet and Woods came up a few feet short of a birdie putt on the final hole.
After Woods signed for a 1-under 70 - his first time since August 2013 that he tied for second with all four rounds under par - he worked his way toward Casey to congratulate him on his first PGA Tour title since the Houston Open in 2009, a span of 132 starts.
"It's the only time he's congratulated me immediately after a victory," Casey said. "Normally, it's the other way around. That's something special. Just really cool. I'm sure he was disappointed he didn't get the victory. I actually thought he was going to win today before the round started. I thought it was just teed up beautifully for him. I said a couple times, 'If I don't win this thing, I actually want Tiger to win it.'
"I'm glad it's this way."
Woods opened with a two-putt birdie to briefly tie for the lead. That was his last birdie until he revved up the raucous crowd with his long birdie on the 17th, giving him his best chance to win since his back problems began not long after his most recent victory, the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013.
This was his fourth PGA Tour event since returning from his fourth back surgery. He is getting better with each tournament, though he didn't feel sharp with his irons Sunday and played too often to the fat of the greens.
"I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament," Woods said. "A couple putts here and there, it could have been a different story."
Two shots behind going to the back nine, with Casey running out of birdie chances, Woods failed to birdie both par 5s. He pulled a wedge into the left rough on No. 11 and three-putted from 80 feet on No. 14. He failed to make a pair of birdie putts from the 15-foot range. And then he showed up with one big putt, looking very much like the Woods of old who lingers long enough to make his opponents worry.
Casey, who finished at 10-under 274, goes up to No. 12 in the world with what he called one of the most rewarding of his 16 victories worldwide.
"Probably more satisfying, the fact that it was on a week where Tiger played some good golf and got to see some amazing stuff and hear the roars and it just was a great week - the buzz, everything about it," Casey said.
Reed, who closed with a 68, had a better chance at winning than Woods, and his disappointment was clear.
Corey Conners, the Canadian rookie who started the final round with a one-shot lead, fell back quickly after opening with a bogey on the course's easiest hole. He shot 77 and tied for 16th at 3 under.
Baylor School graduate Luke List (71) also shared 16th, while another former Red Raider, Stephan Jaeger (70), tied for 49th at 2 over.
Singh wins Toshiba
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Vijay Singh got up and down for birdie with a putter from off the green on the final hole for a one-shot victory in the PGA Tour Champions' Toshiba Classic.
The 55-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer edged Scott McCarron, Tom Pernice Jr. and Tommy Tolles to win for the first time as an individual on the senior circuit. He teamed with Carlos Franco to win last year's Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf.
Singh has played a limited schedule on the 50-and-older tour while continuing to compete on the PGA Tour, where he has 34 career victories. He won the PGA Championship twice (1998, 2004) and the Masters in 2000.
The Fijian closed with a 5-under 66 for a three-day total of 11-under 202 at Newport Beach Country Club. Tolles closed with a 65, McCarron a 68 and Pernice a 69.
Wallace tops 'Beef'
NEW DELHI - Matt Wallace birdied the first playoff hole against fellow Englishman Andrew "Beef" Johnston to win the Indian Open.
Wallace closed with a 3-under 68 and and Johnson shot a 66 as they finished at 11-under 277 after 72 holes.
Sihwan Kim (68) was third at 8 under, with Pablo Larrazabal (69) and Matthias Schwab (70) tied for fourth at 7 under.
Shubhankar Sharma, who began the final round tied with Wallace, hit out-of-bounds on the 15th hole and made double bogey to end his hopes of winning for the third time this year on the European Tour. He closed with a 75 and tied for seventh at 4 under.
Trainer triumphs
LEON, Mexico - Martin Trainer closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory at the El Bosque Mexico Championship.
Playing on a sponsor's exemption, the 26-year-old American was making his first Web.com Tour start of the year. He struggled last year, making one cut in seven starts.
Trainer finished at 14-under 274, with John Chin (68) second. Sebastian Munoz (71) and Chase Wright (70) tied for third at 11 under.
Athens, Tenn., native Eric Axley (73) wound up 69th at 3 over.