SAN FRANCISCO – Tiger Woods saved his best for the last time at the PGA Championship, gaining some momentum ahead of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Woods put up a 3-under 67 on Sunday, his best score of the week, to finish at 1 under for the championship. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner was well back from the onslaught, but proved comfortably too swinging in the cold weather.
Woods’ ability to withstand cold conditions with his surgically repaired back was a concern ahead of the week at TPC Harding Park, but the 44-year-old rarely appeared healthy.
“Overall, the body responds pretty well,” Woods said.
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Instead, it was his placement over the middle two laps that let him down. Woods opened with a 68 with a +1,249 Strokes Gained: Putting mark but fell out of controversy with a pair of 72s on Friday and Saturday. Woods was -1,674 on the greens Friday and -0.266 Saturday to refute all thoughts of a 16th major championship. On Sunday, things were better again, as Woods needed just 25 putts.
Using a new putter same but a little longer than the Scotty Newport 2, he won May 14 with, Woods missed 11 putts within 10 feet and made seven of 13 attempts between 10 and 15 feet. Between 15 and 20 feet, Woods was 0 for 5.
“What I came out with this week is that I felt I was competitive,” Woods said. ‘If I had made a few more putts early on Friday night, and the same with Saturday, I felt like I would have been here by chance. It did not happen, but I fought hard, and today was more indicative of how I could have played on Friday and Saturday if I had made a few putts early. ”
Woods came in 48th place in the FedExCup this week, placed precautionary when he thought about the first FedExCup Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST at TPC Boston. He will leave the PGA Championship about the same mark and is not in the field for the Regular Season-ending Wyndham Championship next week.
The top 125 players qualify for THE NORTHERN TRUST, but only the top 70 to TPC Boston advance to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago. Points are tripled in the playoffs, meaning there would be no certainty Woods would hold a spot without playing.
In addition, only 30 players will advance to the TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, where they will fight for the FedExCup and a $ 15 million bonus. It is likely that Woods will have to line himself up for three consecutive starts.
‘That’s potentially something that could happen, and we’ve done training for that. “Try to get my strength and endurance up to that level to make sure I can handle that kind of workload,” Woods said.
‘We once knew I was going to start playing again when I told Memorial that this was going to be a heavy workload, and with my training sessions, we pushed it pretty hard, and made sure I increased my strength and endurance.
‘It’s a long slip. Play well at the right times, it’s all about timing when you get to the TOUR Championship. ‘
