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Garcia Beats Woods in 'Battle at Bighorn'

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Golfing fans, including myself, who stayed up to watch last night's so-called "Battle at Bighorn" saw a twist on the headline, Tiger Woods actually lost.

CNN/"Sports Illustrated's" Tom Rinaldi has more on what became a grueling match for Tiger, and the player who beat the seemingly unbeatable.

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TOM RINALDI, CNN/"SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" CORRESPONDENT: The "Battle at Bighorn" turned into a war of attrition. Tiger Woods had beaten the field, beaten the clock in the last 24 hours, but he could not beat Sergio Garcia. Woods, who started his day with a clinic in Ohio, flew cross-country, fought fatigue and the flu, but fell to Garcia, who had eight birdies overall, four in the final five holes, including the crucial one at 14; a 40-footer in near total darkness.

SERGIO GARCIA, GOLFER: When I hit the far end, it was like 4 feet short of the hole, I was trying to see where the hole was. I couldn't, you know -- it felt like a good putt, but I couldn't see the hole. And then like a foot short, I saw the hole and I said: that's looking good. So I was fortunate enough to make it. And I don't know if Tiger thinks the same, but I think that was a very important putt for me.

TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I enjoyed the competition today. And we had a wonderful atmosphere out there. We were both playing well. It wasn't like we were out slapping around and making bogeys left and right. We were making birdies in order to win holes, or even have holes. And I think that's what the audience wanted to see. And we've got to always remember that when you do shows like this, it's primarily for the growth of the game.

GARCIA: We both played very well. And you know, I was fortunate enough to make a couple of more putts than Tiger when I had to. And you know, that's the way it goes sometimes. But you know, I really enjoyed it and it's always great to play with Tiger, with by far the best golfer in the world right now. And you know, it was a great experience for me.

WOODS: I've had three pretty good weeks, and the past few months have been pretty good for me, and it just builds up. And at the end of it, your body can hold on. And unfortunately, my body broke down two days early. If it had broke down tomorrow that was fine, I could care less. But it broke down a couple of days short.

RINALDI: Each golfer well paid for part in the prime time showdown: Garcia, $1.1 million for the victory; Woods, $400,000 for runner up. Each golfer will contribute $200,000 to charity. But Garcia needed the victory more. He's 66 on the money list this year and has just two top 10s. But at least for one day, he gets to feel like No. 1.

In Palm Desert, California, I'm Tom Rinaldi.

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