Despite falter, Woods encouraged with state of game

What Tiger Woods spent three days building was razed in only 50 minutes.

Woods entered Sunday’s final round of the Tour Championship at 4-under par, four strokes behind leader Brandt Snedeker. After a double-bogey on the par-3 sixth hole, thanks to a tee shot that found water, Woods was back to even par and out of serious contention for the tournament and FedEx Cup playoff title.

Snedeker took both those crowns and the $11.4 million combined prize money with a final score of 10-under par.

Woods finished the weekend at 2-under par after shooting a 2-over par 72 Sunday and tied for eighth place. He ended up third in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

While there was disappointment in his play and the overall results, Woods couldn’t help but relish in how far he has come. He failed to qualify for the past two Tour Championships while battling health issues and swing changes.

“Considering where I was last year, it’s nice to be where I am now,” Woods said. “I was struggling with my health last year. This year, I was able to turn it around and play some pretty good golf.”

Woods won three times on the PGA Tour this season. His victory at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Invitational in March ended a nearly two-year winless streak. It had been 923 days dating back to September 2009 since he’d won an official PGA Tour event. Woods said he has also been encouraged by his play in the four-event FedEx Cup playoffs, which included three top-eight finishes.

“Coming off the last couple years, it’s nice to be where I’m at and to be able to play in these things,” Woods said.

The wind was an issue Sunday. Woods bogeyed Nos. 1 and 5 before the costly double-bogey at No. 6. Woods said he “roasted” a 5-iron into the green but still came up short with the wind. He also bogeyed Nos. 10 and 17.

There were good moments. Woods birdied Nos. 9, 11, 15 and 18. The most impressive was on the par-3 finishing hole when he put his tee shot to within 18 inches of the cup.

“The wind was tough today,” Woods said. “It was really blowing. [Playing partner] Robert [Garrigus] and I were talking about this all day. We were just shocked at how slow the greens were. They really put a lot of water on them last night. With the cooler air and less humidity, they were probably afraid that they might get a little bit away from them. We were having a hard time getting putts to the hole today.”

Woods opened the Tour Championship with a 66 but followed with inconsistent rounds of 73, 67 and 72. He said he was never sharp over the weekend and it could have been worse if not for his short game.