AKRON, Ohio � Tiger Woods broke par just once in four rounds in his return to the PGA Tour after a three-month break to mend an injured left leg, tying for 37th on a Firestone Country Club track he's owned in the past, and is still getting used to what the golf ball is doing when he tees off.
By Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Tiger Woods looks on from the second tee on his way to a final-round 70 on Sunday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
By Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Tiger Woods looks on from the second tee on his way to a final-round 70 on Sunday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
But heading to this week's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club to play in his first major championship since tying for fourth at the Masters and to try and win his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open, the former No. 1 in the world is upbeat about his game after the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
"Absolutely encouraged," Woods said Sunday when asked about his thoughts heading into the final major of the season. "I hadn't played. I mean, this is my first tournament since, what, April, so it's been awhile.
"You have to understand, I'm fresh. I haven't played. So it's nice for me to get out there in this competitive atmosphere no matter how I was playing just to figure out how to score because I haven't been forced to score.
"At home playing money games with my buddies is just not quite the same. Being out here and being forced to have to post a score, to hit shots, that's a different deal."
Looking rusty at times throughout the tournament and trying to get used to how far he was hitting the ball with all of his clubs, Woods opened with a 2-under-par 68 and then followed with rounds of 71-72. In the final round, Woods, who switched from his Scotty Cameron putter to a Nike putter, made birdies on two of his first five holes, but then made three bogeys and a double bogey in his next nine holes, then finished with birdies on holes 15-17 and a par from the trees on the 18th. He closed with a 70 to shoot 1-over 281 on a golf course where he's won seven times in the past.
He finished 18 shots behind winner Adam Scott, who has Woods' former caddie, Steve Williams, on the bag.
Woods still hasn't locked up a spot for the FedExCup playoffs. He entered the week at No. 135 and is now No. 124, with the top 125 in the standings advancing to the first playoff event, the The Barclays (Aug. 25-28). He can still earn points at the PGA Championship, but said he would not, because of "family obligations," play in the Wyndham Championship the following week, the final event to qualify for the playoffs, even if he was outside of the top 125.
"I had it in spurts this week. I hit it really well, and then I'd lose it and get it back," Woods said. "(Sunday) was a good example of that. I hit it well starting out, then completely lost it there, and tried to piece it back together at the end.
"I found my putting stroke at the end, too, which was nice. But I'm still struggling with my alignment and trusting the fact that the ball doesn't shape as much as it used to. I don't cut the ball as much, I don't draw the ball as much, and the pattern is much tighter. It's weird when I look up the fairway or look at the flags; I'm used to seeing the ball move a lot more in my lines, so I'm still fiddling with that. I've just got to keep playing. It's just something that comes over time of just playing and getting the feel for it."
Woods wished he had more time to get his game in shape, saying it would have been nice to have one more tournament to get ready for the PGA Championship, which he'll try to win for a record-tying fifth time. He'll also be trying to win his 15th major, which would leave him three behind Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.
"I've got three days," he said, "so I'm going to worry about these three days and apply it accordingly and be ready come Thursday."
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