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*Tiger Woods was thisclose to winning his first golf tournament in nearly five years.
In just his fourth official tournament since undergoing a fourth back surgery – a spinal fusion, that occurred 11 months ago – Tiger’s birdie putt on the 18th hole from nearly 40 feet stopped short, leaving him one stroke shy of victory at the Valspar Championship.
It was Englishman Paul Casey who fired a final-round 65 on the Copperhead course at the Innisbrook Resort to claim his second PGA Tour title. Casey sat in the clubhouse while Woods and Patrick Reed still had a chance to tie him, and it was Reed who faltered with a bogey at the last hole while Woods failed to nail the birdie he needed.
“I was close,” Woods said after a final-round 70 left him in a tie for second, his best finish since he tied for 10th at the 2015 Wyndham Championship. “I had a chance today. Unfortunately I just didn’t quite feel as sharp as I needed to with my irons, played a little conservative because of it.
“I just needed to handle the par-5s a little better. Missed a short one there on 4 for par. Should have two-putted 14. I know that was a long putt but I was trying to leave it below the hole. I over did it. I missed it.”
Woods was the only player in the field to break par in every round, shooting scores of 70-68-67-70 to finish at 9 under par. It was the closest he came to winning since he tied for second at the 2013 Barclays, the first FedEx Cup playoff event.
Tiger is scheduled to tee it up again this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has eight victories, the last in 2013.
Watch Tiger’s post-match interview below, and highlights from his final round at Valspar above.
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