Thousand Oaks (AP)—The unlikely comeback. The great escape from trouble. The clutch putts at the end.

Tiger Woods was back on a familiar stage Sunday, with one big difference.

He was a witness, not a winner.

Graeme McDowell upstaged Woods in the Chevron World Challenge with a performance so typical of his dream season. The U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach, the hero of the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, McDowell came up with another great moment in a year filled with them.

Woods stuffed an 8-iron to inside 3 feet on the 18th hole at Sherwood for what looked like a sure victory when McDowell rammed in a 20-foot birdie putt to force a sudden-death playoff.

Then, McDowell made a similar putt from about 25 feet on the same hole in the playoff to win.

“Those are probably two of the greatest putts I’ve made,” McDowell said, pausing to step out of the moment. He made a few good ones at Pebble Beach. There was that 15-foot birdie putt in the Ryder Cup that led to a European victory.