Tiger Woods’ fans rode a roller coaster of emotions during Sunday’s final round of the Valspar Championship, which began with their guy just one shot behind 54-hole frontrunner Corey Conners and a birdie putt at the first to earn a share of the lead.
Tiger Woods leaves fans wanting more after 2nd-place finish at Valspar
Woods had less than his ‘A’ game Sunday at Innisbrook, but he heads to Bay Hill with eight PGA Tour wins on his resume and a ton of confidence in his resurgent form.
Unfortunately for the multitudes of fans stacked up at Innisbrook and those planted firmly on their couches in record numbers, when his birdie putt on the 72nd hole came up just short of forcing a playoff, that’s as close as Woods would get to hoisting his first PGA Tour trophy since 2013.
Instead, Paul Casey ended his own nine-year tour victory drought with a one-stroke triumph over Woods and TW-wannabe Patrick Reed, pugnaciously clad in Woods’ signature red and black.
Certainly not bad for the 42-year-old former world No. 1 making his fourth tour start in 2018 since returning to competition after a lengthy layoff following his fourth of four back surgeries. Just not what all of his minions hoped to see, especially after Woods’ stellar play in the first three rounds (70-68-6).
Casey, playing several groups ahead of Woods, got off to a blistering start with four birdies in his first seven holes and cooled his heels in the clubhouse after getting to 10-under thanks to a 6-under 65. While Reed and Justin Rose vied to tie Casey at the top, Woods could get nothing going after that opening birdie until he drilled a 43-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to pull within a stroke of Casey.
Woods’ followers, who had pretty much conceded defeat by then, finally had something to cheer about.
Alas, the euphoria was short-lived, as Woods, needing another bird on 18 to reach Casey, came up short with his approach shot and a birdie putt from 39 feet, which was pretty much the story of his day.
“I didn’t feel that sharp with my iron game,” Woods said after coming in with a 70 to end his week at 9-under. “I played very conservatively into the greens because I just wasn’t as sharp as I was yesterday.”
NBC’s Roger Maltbie concurred.
“Yesterday his iron game was sharp. Earlier in the week was sharp. Not as sharp today,” Maltbie said. “Today he has faced a lot of putts that you don’t make a ton of. Just the way it is.”
Woods’ putter was also ice cold, as he required 31 putts to get around the Copperhead course on Sunday, while Casey’s 21 putts were the fewest of his PGA Tour career.
Even so, Woods posted his first top-five finish since he tied for second at The Barclays in August 2013.
And now, after a day of rest (“I’m not going to touch a club tomorrow”), it’s on to his final tuneup before next month’s Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which starts Thursday. Woods, projected to move from 388th in the world to inside the top 150, looked forward to returning to the friendly confines of Bay Hill, a track that has yielded eight of Woods’ 79 tour Ws.
“It will be good for me to go back. I’ve had some great memories there,” Woods said about Arnie’s Place, where he has not played since his 2013 victory. “Not only have I won there a few times but … I used to live there, my kids were born there, so it’s a great town and a great atmosphere.”
Woods, who did not quite “one-up” Phil Mickelson, who captured his first win since 2013 in Mexico, has a chance to match Lefty’s feat this week.
Woods also sent a message to Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and the rest of this week’s star-studded cast to ponder.
“I think that I’ve gotten a little bit better than what I was a couple weeks ago at Honda,” said Woods, who finished 12th at PGA National. “I keep getting just a little bit better and a little bit sharper.
“Today wasn’t quite as sharp as I would have liked to have had it but I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament,” he said. “A couple putts here and there and it could have been a different story.”
Rory, Justin, Jason, et al — you have been warned.
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