Tiger Woods: Honda Classic Final-Round 62 a Sign of Things to Come

A week after I said Tiger Woods was still trying to figure it out, Tiger Woods figured it out.

Tiger began the final round of the Honda Classic a seemingly insurmountable nine shots behind leader Rory McIlroy. But two eagles, four birdies and 12 pars later, he had the best Sunday finish of his incredible 16-year career as he moved up the leader board and into second place.

McIlroy was still five holes away from victory at a windswept PGA National Champion Course, and Woods was just two shots behind him.

As it turned out, the lead was insurmountable. McIlroy won by two shots.

The Northern Irishman didn't play his best golf on Sunday, but he also didn't back down with the roar of Tiger Woods' success in the distance and Jack Nicklaus' Bear Trap just ahead.

McIlroy was unflappable in making five par-saving putts of seven feet or greater in the final round, including impressive, pressure-packed sand saves at No. 15 and No. 17.

That being said, this article isn't about Rory McIlroy, the youngest-ever winner at the Honda Classic and the new No. 1 player in the world, according to the Official World Golf Ranking.

It's about Tiger Woods finally putting all the components of his game together to make us wonder if he might be back in the top spot sooner rather than later.

At the very least, we might look back at the 2012 Honda Classic as the tournament that ignited the Tiger-Rory rivalry that so many have been hoping for.

If Tiger has been prepping his game to peak just in time for the Masters tournament a month from now, it looks like he's right on track.

His performance at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral this week will go a long way in determining if that's true, but if Sunday's scintillating 62 is any indication, the year's first major championship could very well be Tiger's long-awaited, much-anticipated return to glory.

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