Tiger Woods finishes strong at PGA ahead of FedExCup Playoffs push
3 Min Read
All-time shots at TPC Harding Park
SAN FRANCISCO – Tiger Woods saved his best for last at the PGA Championship, gaining some momentum ahead of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Woods put together 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 of the contenders but appeared to be swinging comfortably in the cold weather.
The ability of Woods to withstand chilly conditions with his surgically repaired back was a concern ahead of the week at TPC Harding Park, but the 44-year-old rarely appeared troubled health-wise.
“Overall, the body reacted pretty good,” Woods said.
Instead it was his putting over the middle two rounds that let him down. Woods opened with a 68 with a +1.249 Strokes Gained: Putting mark but fell out of contention with a pair of 72s on Friday and Saturday. Woods was -1.674 on the greens Friday and -0.266 Saturday to thwart any thoughts of a 16th major championship. On Sunday things were better again as Woods needed just 25 putts.
Using a new putter similar but a little longer than the Scotty Newport 2 he’s won 14 majors with, Woods missed 11 putts inside 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 got out of this week is that I felt I was competitive,” Woods said. “If I would have made a few more putts on Friday early on, and the same thing with Saturday, I felt like I would have been right there with a chance. It didn't happen, but I fought hard, and today was more indicative of how I could have played on Friday and Saturday if I would have made a few putts early.”
Woods entered the week ranked 48th in the FedExCup, precariously placed if he has thoughts of skipping the first FedExCup Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST at TPC Boston. He will leave the PGA Championship around 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 after TPC Boston move on to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago. Points are tripled in the Playoffs, meaning it would not be a certainty that Woods would hold a place without playing.
On top of that, only 30 players will advance to the TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta where they will fight it out for the FedExCup and $15 million bonus. It is likely Woods will need to gear himself up for three consecutive starts.
“That's potentially what could happen, and we've been training for that. Trying to get my strength and endurance up to that ability to making sure that I can handle that type of workload,” Woods said.
“We knew once I started playing again when I committed to Memorial that this was going to be a heavy workload, and my training sessions, we've been pushing it pretty hard, making sure that I kept my strength and endurance up.
“It's a long grind. Playing well at the right times, it's all about timing when you get to the TOUR Championship.”