Tiger Woods: Another Sunday, Another Collapse For Woods

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Tiger Woods Was Back For Three Rounds, But It All Came Apart On Sunday At The Dubai Desert Classic

Tiger Woods was in contention going into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. He was 7-under heading into the final round, just one shot behind the leader, and he was poised to make a run on Sunday.

But this is the Tiger Woods of 2011, not 2001. He doesn't have the same ability that he once did, and when he is in contention there is no guarantee that he will make a run to the top on Sunday.

Sure enough, Woods had a chance to get his first victory since 2009, but he fired a 3-over 75 on Sunday to finish seven shots behind winner Alvaro Quiros. The round started ugly with bogeys on the second- and third- holes. He was able to come back and birdie six and 11, but that was as good as things would get for him.

He would bogey 12 and 14, and then a double-bogey on the par five 18. His putting, which is the key to him being successful, let him down on Sunday. When he got into contention on Friday by shooting a 6-under 66, his putting was fantastic.

It's another sign that Woods has the ability to get back to being a championship caliber golfer, but he can't sustain it for all four rounds. As good as things were for him on Friday, things were that bad for him on Sunday.

Obviously, he is graded differently because he has set the bar so high for himself, but perhaps we should temper our expectations of him. He shouldn't go into every tournament as the favorite just because of his name. He has to prove that he is among the best players in the sport before he can command that kind of respect again.

I believe that Tiger will put everything together and win at least one tournament this year, but he has to figure out his putting stroke before that can happen.

Related Story: Another Bad Moment For Tiger In Dubai

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