Tiger Woods Finishes 2nd at Valspar Championship 2018 for Best Finish Since 2013
March 11, 2018
Tiger Woods fell just short in his attempt to win his first tournament since 2013 on Sunday, as he shot a one-under 70 in the fourth round of the Valspar Championship and finished in a tie for second.
Woods entered the final round at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida, trailing leader Corey Conners by just one stroke, but Tiger was only able to muster two birdies and one bogey on Sunday.
That line wasn't good enough to beat out Paul Casey, who shot a six-under 65 in the fourth round en route to victory—finishing one shot better than Woods.
After a dramatic birdie on No. 17, Woods had a chance to force a playoff on the 18th, but his lengthy birdie attempt didn't have enough steam.
Although Tiger didn't prevail, he registered his best finish since 2013 and his first result inside the top 10 since 2015.
On the heels of a four-under 67 in the third round, Woods began the fourth round in ideal fashion and seemed well on his way to a repeat performance.
Tiger played the par-five first hole to near perfection and finished with a birdie that moved him to nine-under on the tournament, as seen in the following video courtesy of the PGA Tour:
That putt moved Woods into a tie for the lead, and former ESPN contributor J.A. Adande pointed out that Tiger's return to prominence made it feel like old times:
The 42-year-old veteran gave the stroke back and fell into a tie for second just three holes later, however.
On the par-three fourth, Woods had a makeable putt for par, but he misread the line and was forced to settle for a bogey:
Tiger then strung together several pars in a row, although he had his fair share of chances to make up strokes along the way.
One of the closest calls came on No. 8 when Woods seemed to think he had made a huge birdie putt only for it to lip out:
Woods had another chance to gain some ground on the par-five 14th, but he left a long eagle putt well short and then missed the birdie try as well.
ESPN's Jason Sobel suggested that the par was somewhat deflating considering how much more Tiger could have gotten out of the hole:
Tiger headed to the 17th tee trailing Casey and Patrick Reed by two strokes, which meant a birdie was essentially a necessity.
After his tee shot on the par-three hole left him 43 feet away from the cup, though, it seemed like his chances were slim at best.
Even so, Woods channeled his vintage form on the birdie attempt and drained it from long range to move to within one shot of the lead and send the crowd into a frenzy:
Tons of golfers and other professional athletes marveled at the putt on Twitter immediately after, including Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr:
Woods still had work to do, and after Reed bogeyed the 18th, it became clear that Tiger needed only a birdie to force a playoff with Casey.
He left himself with a long approach shot on No. 18, and he wasn't able to make up the distance.
Tiger's birdie attempt was from nearly 40 yards out, but after making an even longer one on No. 17, he could not replicate the magic:
Woods didn't quite have the finish he wanted, but according to ESPN Stats & Info, he ended what was by far the longest drought of his career in terms of top-five results:
Wins continue to prove elusive for Tiger, but he is currently playing better than he has in years, and it comes at an ideal time.
The Masters Tournament is less than one month away, and Woods suddenly looks like a major threat to win the fifth green jacket and 15th major title of his career.