Tiger Woods Will Have to Shed Late-Round Woes to Win 2012 Barclays

Tiger Woods may have tweaked his back before Friday's second round at the 2012 Barclays, but he can't blame his back problems if he flails down the stretch over the weekend.

That's because closing tournaments has been a constant problem for Tiger this year. His issues in the final two rounds haven't been physical, but mental.

Woods has been much better overall this year than he has the past few years with three victories and six top-10 finishes, but he's shot himself in the foot on multiple occasions during the weekend, most notably at all four major championships.

Woods shot a 68 on Thursday and a 69 on Friday to close the first two rounds at the Barclays at five under par. The question is, will he continue his impressive play in the next two rounds?

Woods ranks fourth in scoring average before the cut this year, per PGATour.com. He ranks 55th in the third round and 36th in the final round. That will tell you all you need to know about his late-round struggles.

After scoring a 69 and a 71 in the first two rounds of the PGA Championship this year, Woods finished with a 74 and a 72. 

After scoring two 67s in the first two rounds of the British Open, he scored a 70 and a 73.

And after scoring a 69 and a 70 before the cut at the U.S. Open, he finished with a 75 and a 73.  

This is what Tiger must overcome before he can start claiming tournaments left and right. He has the game now; there is no question about that. His greens in regulation percentage has been solid, he's putting much better and his driving accuracy is way up. He's shown he can win tournaments again.

How many tournaments Tiger wins from here on out has more to do with his mind than simple tweaks in the back.