Final-round notebook: Bridgestone Invitational

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AKRON, Ohio -- Tiger Woods posted a 5-under 65 for the second consecutive day to capture the 2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational by four strokes over Robert Allenby (66) and Padraig Harrington (72). The win is the 70th of Woods' career on the PGA TOUR in 248 career starts (234 as a professional). As a result, he moves within three victories of tying Jack Nicklaus (73 wins) for second place on the all-time TOUR wins list. Sam Snead, with 82 wins, leads the list.

• The win is worth 550 FedExCup points and keeps Woods (3,101 points) firmly planted in the top spot on the points list with just two events remaining before the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup begin at The Barclays. He leads Steve Stricker by 946 points.

• Woods becomes the first player to win a stroke-play event seven times on the same golf course on either the TOUR or European Tour. Only Sam Snead has more victories in a single tournament (eight wins in Greensboro), but he performed the feat on different courses. Here's a list of players who have won six (or more) times on the same golf course on the PGA TOUR:

• Woods won the Memorial Tournament for the fourth time in his career earlier this season. He has now followed each of his four wins at the Memorial with a victory at the Bridgestone Invitational (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009).

• In 10 starts, Woods has never finished lower than fourth at the Bridgestone Invitational (4-2002, T4-2003).

• Woods will enter the PGA Championship seeking to win for the third consecutive week on TOUR for the third time in his career. The others came in 1999 (Disney, TOUR Championship, American Express) and 2006 (PGA Championship, Bridgestone Invitational, Deutsche Bank Championship).

• The only player to win on TOUR the week before the Bridgestone Invitational and then go on to capture the World Golf Championship event was Tiger Woods, doing so in 2000, 2006 and 2009. The first two seasons he followed up his victory at the PGA Championship with a win at Firestone Country Club. This year's win at the Bridgestone Invitational followed his third-career victory at the Buick Open.

• Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships events in 30 starts:

• Woods has come-from-behind 20 times (of 67 stroke-play wins) in his career. Six of those 10 wins have been by three shots or more, including three this season.

• The runner-up finish is the sixth of Robert Allenby's TOUR career (324 starts), and the first since the 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship.

• Allenby (T2) and Stewart Cink (T6) posted all four rounds in the 60s this week. In all, the feat has been performed 14 times at the Bridgestone Invitational, with Jim Furyk (2000, 2003, 2006), Tiger Woods (2000, 2001) and Allenby (2003, 2009) accounting for seven.

• Allenby's runner-up finish came in his 26th career start in a World Golf Championships event and ninth appearance at the Bridgestone Invitational. It equals his previous best finish in a World Golf Championships event -- T2 at the 2002 Bridgestone Invitational.

• Padraig Harrington's T2 finish is his best in 30 career starts in World Golf Championships events. His previous best finish was T5, set on three occasions (2004 and 2006 Accenture Match Play Championship, 2000 CA Championship). He collects 257.5 FedExCup points to move from No. 142 to No. 68 in the FedExCup standings.

• Harrington made his 11th start at the Bridgestone Invitational this week, with four top-20 finishes. Prior to Sunday's runner-up effort, his previous-best result came in his first start in 1999 (T12).

• Harrington is now one for three when holding the 54-hole lead/co-lead on the TOUR and seven of 19 on the European Tour. Here's a look at his 54-hole leads on the TOUR:

• With Harrington failing to win on Sunday, the third-round leader/co-leader has now gone on to win 19 of 33 stroke-play events on TOUR this season. The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the Bridgestone Invitational seven out of 11 times. All four comeback victories were posted by Tiger Woods.

• Five players have competed in all 11 Bridgestone Invitationals, including Harrington (T2), Lee Westwood (9), Phil Mickelson (T58), Darren Clarke (T22) and Stuart Appleby (T51). This group has combined for one victory (Darren Clarke, 2003), four second-place finishes, one third and 15 top 10s.

• Hunter Mahan finished T4 this week for his sixth top-10 finish of the season, including four out of his last five starts (T6-U.S. Open, T4-Travelers, 2-AT&T National, MC-British Open, T4-Bridgestone Invitational). Mahan, who has made the cut in 17 of 18 starts this season, has moved all the way to No. 13 in the FedExCup standings. Mahan now has two top-10 finishes in seven World Golf Championships starts (T10-2008 Bridgestone Invitational).

• Danny Lee, the youngest player to ever tee it up in a World Golf Championships event, posted an even-par 70 on Sunday to finish T51.

• 2008 FedExCup winner Vijay Singh finished T29 this week in his title defense. The 34-time TOUR winner, including wins at the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship, will head to Hazeltine next week seeking his first victory of the year. Singh has wins in 11 of his last 12 seasons on TOUR, with 2001 his last winless season. He is currently No. 63 on the FedExCup points list.

• Phil Mickelson finished T58 in his first start on TOUR since a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open on June 21. The lefthander owns five top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the Bridgestone Invitational, with a runner-up finish in his inaugural start in 1999 his best result.

• All three Major championship winners this season finished inside the top 20 this week: Angel Cabrera (T4), Stewart Cink (T6) and Lucas Glover (T19).

• This week's field included 11 past champions of World Golf Championships events, including four past champions of the Bridgestone Invitational: Woods (1), Cink (T6), Clarke (T22) and Singh (T29).

• Five players entered the week with top-10 finishes in the previous two World Golf Championships this season, but none were able to make it three consecutive. 2008 Ryder Cup participant Oliver Wilson came close, finishing T11.

• Of the 18 players making their first appearance in the Bridgestone Invitational, Alvaro Quiros was the only player who managed to finish under par (-2), finishing T15.

• The par-70 Firestone Country Club played to an average of 70.861 this week, with the par-4 fourth hole playing the toughest at 4.332. The par-5 second hole was the easiest at 4.547.