<p align="justify" class="title">Tiger Woods had taken his bow and left the stage when fierce drama unfolded Sunday at Torrey Pines, with Alex Noren and Jason Day locked in a play-off duel as darkness fell.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The spotlight had been all on Woods as the 14-time major champion wrapped up his first US PGA Tour tournament in a year with an even par 72 for a 72-hole total of 285.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">That was good enough for a promising tie for 23rd as Woods launched his latest bid to return to form in the wake of spinal fusion surgery last April.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Woods was never in sight of the 10-under par total of 278 that sent Australia's Day, Sweden's Noren and American Ryan Palmer into sudden death.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Palmer was eliminated with a par at the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, where Noren's third shot onto the green spun back toward the pin to leave him with a tap-in birdie and Day drained a tough, downhill eight-footer.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The remaining duo returned to 18 and birdied again -- both reaching the green in two.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">After pars at the par-three 16th, the fourth play-off hole took them to the par-four 17th, where both Day and Noren were in a fairway bunker off the tee.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Both reached the green from there and both two-putted for par, Day's birdie effort stopping only inches short.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The light was fading as they returned to 18, where Day was in a fairway bunker and Noren in the first cut of rough just off the fairway.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren reached the green in two, leaving himself some 40 feet. Day laid up and stuck his third shot five feet from the pin.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren rolled his eagle attempt five feet past, and after Day drained his birdie Noren rolled in his.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, is seeking his first title since the 2016 Players Championship.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren, ranked 19th in the world and a nine-time winner on the European Tour, is in search of his first US tour title.</p>
<p align="justify" class="title">Tiger Woods had taken his bow and left the stage when fierce drama unfolded Sunday at Torrey Pines, with Alex Noren and Jason Day locked in a play-off duel as darkness fell.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The spotlight had been all on Woods as the 14-time major champion wrapped up his first US PGA Tour tournament in a year with an even par 72 for a 72-hole total of 285.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">That was good enough for a promising tie for 23rd as Woods launched his latest bid to return to form in the wake of spinal fusion surgery last April.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Woods was never in sight of the 10-under par total of 278 that sent Australia's Day, Sweden's Noren and American Ryan Palmer into sudden death.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Palmer was eliminated with a par at the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, where Noren's third shot onto the green spun back toward the pin to leave him with a tap-in birdie and Day drained a tough, downhill eight-footer.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The remaining duo returned to 18 and birdied again -- both reaching the green in two.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">After pars at the par-three 16th, the fourth play-off hole took them to the par-four 17th, where both Day and Noren were in a fairway bunker off the tee.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Both reached the green from there and both two-putted for par, Day's birdie effort stopping only inches short.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The light was fading as they returned to 18, where Day was in a fairway bunker and Noren in the first cut of rough just off the fairway.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren reached the green in two, leaving himself some 40 feet. Day laid up and stuck his third shot five feet from the pin.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren rolled his eagle attempt five feet past, and after Day drained his birdie Noren rolled in his.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, is seeking his first title since the 2016 Players Championship.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Noren, ranked 19th in the world and a nine-time winner on the European Tour, is in search of his first US tour title.</p>