After an uneven final round at the Wyndham Championship, Tiger Woods fell just short of capturing his first PGA Tour victory in nearly two years. He fired an even-par 70 on Sunday and finished four strokes back at 13-under par. His 10th place finish this week isn’t enough to qualify him for the post-season FedEx Cup Playoffs, so Tiger will have an extended lay off period before he tees it up for the 2016 season.
Woods failed to gather any momentum early in his final round, starting his day with six straight pars before dropping a shot with a bogey at the seventh. Disaster struck on the difficult par-four 11th hole where Woods shanked his third shot and then chunked his second chip coming back, leading to a triple bogey seven that shot him out of contention. Tiger did rally late his round with birdies on four of his final six holes, but the damage was already done and his chances at victory were dashed.
According to stats provided by the PGA Tour’s website, Tiger hit nine out of 14 fairways , 13 out of 18 greens, and needed 28 putts to find the bottom of the hole.
After his round, the former world No. 1 spoke with the media, and according to USA Today , Woods discussed his struggles out on the course and how he failed to capitalize on his birdie opportunities.
“I had all the opportunity in the world to do it, but I didn’t get it done. I had some makeable putts early that I missed. I just wasn’t able to get on any kind of roll early…. I had a sand wedge in my hand at 8 and didn’t make birdie there. I had my chances to get it going. I just never did.””
For Woods, this week’s 10th place finish is his best showing in his disappointing 2015 season that features four missed cuts and three rounds in the 80s. However, throughout much of his previous three days, Tiger truly played like the Tiger Woods we all used to know, flushing iron shots, sinking clutch putts, and putting his name atop the leaderboard. Even when he faltered on the back nine on Sunday, he was still able to fight back with four closing birdies.
Overall, Woods’ performance this week is a promising sign, indicating that after all the struggles with his swing and his injuries, he might truly be back on the road to greatness once again. With a few months to work on his game before the start of the 2016 season, Tiger Woods may very well come out roaring the next time the golfing world sees him tee it up.
[Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images]