Woods and Kuehne nab Bridges title

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. -- Hank Kuehne salvaged an embarrassing night off the tee with two birdie putts that got his team back in the match, and Tiger Woods took over from there.

Woods blistered a 5-iron within 25 feet for an eagle at the par-5 16th that capped a great comeback and gave him and Kuehne a 2-and-1 victory Monday night in the "Battle at the Bridges."

The made-for-TV exhibition was supposed to be about power, and John Daly did not disappoint by winning three of the four long-drive contests. But it ultimately came down to the most reliable club in anyone's bag -- the putter.

Daly and Masters champion Phil Mickelson led 2-up for most of the match until Woods started the rally with a birdie on the 13th, and Kuehne finally got in the game with birdies putts of 8 and 12 feet on the next two holes to give them a 1-up lead and send them to a victory.

"After the front nine, I needed something," Kuehne said. "Because that was pretty ugly."

Until those birdies, Kuehne had the dubious distinction of being the longest hitter on the PGA Tour and producing the shortest drive in these exbibitions -- a 180-yard duck hook, the worst drive of a bad night off the tee.

Ultimately, it didn't matter.

He and Woods went 5 under over a four-hole stretch starting on the 13th, and the match ended under the lights on the par-3 17th when Daly and Mickelson narrowly missed birdie putts to keep the match alive.

Woods and Kuehne each split $1 million, while Mickelson and Daly split $400,000.