SHANGHAI - Phil Mickelson won the HSBC Champions yesterday by rallying against a familiar foe. Only it wasn’t Tiger Woods. Mickelson made an 18-footer to save par on the 16th after whiffing on a flop shot, then holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th to close with a 3-under 69 and overcome a late charge by Ernie Els, who was in the lead until hitting into the water and making bogey on the final hole.

SAN FRANCISCO—Tiger Woods had a perfect week, and the Americans stayed unbeaten at home in the Presidents Cup. Woods delivered the clinching point yesterday with a 6-and-5 victory over Y.E. Yang, a tiny token of revenge from losing the PGA Championship. When Phil Mickelson, playing with happy emotion, posted a 2-and-1 victory over Retief Goosen, the celebration was on.

One putt changed everything except the lead yesterday in the Presidents Cup. The Americans were poised to seize control in the opening session of foursomes at Harding Park, already assured of the lead and on the verge of winning the final match for a two-point advantage. Justin Leonard had a 3-foot birdie putt to win—a putt he first thought had been conceded—and was stunned when the putt caught the right edge of the cup and spun away.

ATLANTA—Sean O’Hair got a putting tip from Tiger Woods and put it to good use yesterday in the Tour Championship, opening with a 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead in the final FedEx Cup playoff event. Woods did all right himself. He recovered from a shaky start with three birdies during a four-hole stretch on the back nine at East Lake for a 67, leaving him one shot back along with Padraig Harrington and British Open champion Stewart Cink.

Tiger Woods left the drama to everyone else at Cog Hill. One day after his course-record 62 gave him a seven-shot lead, Woods made sure no one else had a chance yesterday in the BMW Championship. He closed with a 3-under 68 for an eight-shot victory over Jim Furyk and Marc Leishman. It was his sixth victory of the year, and assured Woods the No. 1 ranking going into the final tournament of the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. Woods won for the fifth time at Cog Hill, and it was his 10th career victory by at least eight shots.

Tiger Woods yesterday built a seven-shot lead with a 9-under 62 that broke the course record at Cog Hill and tied the tournament record at the BMW Championship. Woods was three shots behind when he stood on the sixth tee yesterday. Nine holes later, he was five shots ahead and still rolling. The signature shot was a 3-wood from just over 300 yards that stopped 10 feet away for an eagle at No. 9.

LEMONT, Ill. - Tiger Woods and Mark Wilson were in a tie for the lead yesterday at the BMW Championship, two players who have every reason to feel right at home at Cog Hill. One practices here all the time. The other seems to win here all the time. Woods made two solid par saves from deep bunkers early in his round, ran off three straight birdies at the turn and cashed in on enough good shots for a 4-under 67 to put him atop the leaderboard for the first time since the PGA Championship.

NORTON, Mass. - Given another chance to win a playoff event, Steve Stricker delivered back-to-back birdies to cap a wild Labor Day finish and win the Deutsche Bank Championship yesterday, moving past Tiger Woods to the top of the FedEx Cup standings. One week after missing a 10-foot par putt to force overtime, Stricker rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the 17th hole, then hit a delicate chip to tap-in range on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 67 one-shot victory over Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank.

JERSEY CITY, N.J.—Webb Simpson looked at the scores and the weather, neither of which indicated an easy time yesterday at Liberty National. He quickly settled on a simple game plan and made it pay off in The Barclays. Simpson took advantage on some of the shorter holes to give him a cushion for the inevitable mistakes. It led to a 3-under 68 on a long, tough and wet afternoon that put the 24-year-old rookie atop the leaderboard for the first time all year.

Sergio Garcia hits his tee shot on the eighth hole at The Barclays. Garcia is a two-time winner of this tournament, both times at tree-lined Westchester. JERSEY CITY, N.J.—Seven days ago, Sergio Garcia wasn’t even sure if he would be eligible to play in The Barclays for the start of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. Suddenly, he has a splendid view from the top.

Tiger Woods could have skipped The Barclays and won the FedEx Cup, as he did in 2007. JERSEY CITY, N.J.—No matter what players think of the golf course, Liberty National gets universal praise for its intimate view of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, so close to the shore she looks as if she could tend a flag on the green.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. For those who don’t buy into the FedEx Cup, consider the alternative. Ten years ago this week, with the majors done for the season, the PGA Tour embarked on a four-week stretch that consisted of the World Series of Golf at Firestone, followed by the Air Canada Championship in Vancouver, the Canadian Open and the B.C. Open.

Five members of the Richmond Kickers, who finished second in the USL-2 regular season, were named to the all-league team yesterday with four making the first unit. Richmond goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, who led the league in wins (11) and tied Harrisburg’s Chase Harrison for most shutouts (8), was joined on the first unit by teammates Yomby William (defender), Mike Burke (midfielder) and Matthew Delicate (forward). Richmond defender Sascha Gorres made the second unit.

Tiger Woods is one round away from winning another major, with more company than he wanted. Starting yesterday’s round with a four-shot lead, Woods played conservatively on another windy afternoon at Hazeltine until his lead was gone. Woods never has lost a major when leading, but some in the field foresee a fiercely fought final round.

CHASKA, Minn.—Three players took turn sharing the lead with Tiger Woods until he stood alone at the PGA Championship. The final hour at Hazeltine changed everything. Woods fired off three straight birdies, which began with a drive onto the fringe of the 299-yard 14th hole and ended with Woods nodding his head and dangling his tongue out of the side of his mouth after making a 20-footer.