Getty
Tiger finished in eighth at THE PLAYERS with a 5-under-par 283.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods continued his strong comeback from reconstructive knee surgery by posting his fifth straight top 10 finish of the year Sunday in THE PLAYERS Championship. He closed with a 1-over-par 73 and finished eighth, his best showing since winning the tournament in 2001.
Woods wound up with a 72-hole score of 5-under-par 283. That was seven shots behind winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who closed with a near flawless 66.
"Pretty incredible," Woods said of Stenson. "He played great."
The 33-year-old Woods has now recorded 16-consecutive Top 10 finishes in stroke play competition world-wide, 15 in a row on the PGA Tour. Thirteen times he has finished fifth or better.
Playing in back-to-back events for the first time since February of 2008 -- Buick Invitational and Dubai Desert Classic -- the top-ranked Woods said he had no problems with his left knee.
"The knee feels great," said Woods. "No issues at all. That's something we wondered about the first part of the season."
Woods began the final round at the toasty Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in a six-way tie for second at 6-under, five strokes behind Alex Cejka. The leaders knew a good round could be had when they saw that early starter Aaron Baddeley shot a 6-under-par 66. Of course, they also saw that Ryan Moore was 11-over through 10 holes en route to an 84. In other words, anything was possible.
Cejka had already depa rted the putting green when Woods arrived prior to their 2:25 p.m. tee time. Dressed in black slacks, carmine-colored mock collar shirt and black hat, Woods wore his game face to the first tee. He drilled a 3-wood down the center of the fairway, hit a pitching wedge 43 feet right of the back-left pin and two-putted for a par, picking up a shot on Cejka, who bogeyed.
"I was in-between clubs," Woods said of his second shot. "I probably pulled the wrong club."
At the par-5 second, Woods pulled a 3-wood into the left trees and the ball dropped only 180 yards off the tee, into pine straw. From there, he hit a poor second shot into the water on the right. After incurring a one-stroke penalty and dropping, Woods hit his fourth shot from 190 yards about 33 right of the hole and two-putted for a disappointing bogey.
"I just hit a quick hook," he said.
Woods had bogeyed the par-3 third hole the two previous rounds, and missed the green again. This time, he salvaged par, chipping to five feet.
At the par-4 fourth, Woods drove into the primary rough on the right and had no choice but to play a sand wedge 50 yards down the fairway. He hit another sand wedge from 80 yards nine feet right of the hole and missed left, absorbing another bogey.
Woods hit a 3-wood into the fairway at the par-4 fifth. With the ball slightly below his feet, he had 190 yards to the green on his second shot and wound up 60 feet short-left. Clearly struggling with his game, Woods two-putted, converting a four-footer for par.
At the par-4 sixth, Woods hit a nice tee shot down the right side of the fairway. He hit a wedge from 113 yards 13 feet behind the hole and tallied his first birdie of the round.
But the positive momentum was short-lived. Woods pushed a fairway wood into a right fairway bunker at the par-4 seventh hole. Again, he had no alternative but to blast down the fairway and was left with 113 yards. Woods hit his third shot just over the back of the green, then chipped to a foot to save bogey.
Woods made a nice save at the par-3 eighth. His drive caught a right, greenside bunker, 39 feet short of the hole. Woods blasted to 3 1/2 feet and made the par putt. At the par-5 ninth, Woods drove into the heavy rough on the left. He was forced to lay up 76 yards from the green, then hit a sand wedge just over the back of the green, a frustrated Woods shocked the ball wouldn't hold. He chipped to a foot to save par and made the turn in 2-over 38, four strokes behind Stenson.
Knowing he had to make a move to climb back into contention, Woods hit his tee shot into the right rough at the par-4 10th, then knocked his second shot long, 60 feet from the hole. Woods left his third shot 34 feet short of the hole and two-putted for a bogey.
"After I bogeyed 10, I needed to birdie 11 and 12 to get myself back in it," said Woods.
At the par-5 11th , Woods split the fairway and had 226 yards to the green. He hit his second shot in the right, greenside bunker, then blasted 13 feet past the hole and two-putted for a par.
Woods two-putted the par-4 12th hole from 18 feet. At the par-3 13th, Woods came up just short of the green in two. Chipping from 64 feet away, he ran the shot 14 feet past and made the par putt.
Grinding hard, Woods birdied the par-4 14th hole, hitting a beautiful approach shot 11 feet past the pin. He two-putted the par-4 15th hole from 32 feet for par.
At the par-5 16th hole, Woods found the fairway with a 287-yard drive and had 220 yards remaining for his second shot. He knocked a mid-iron 63 feet left of the hole and ran his eagle putt 6 1/2 feet past the hole. Woods converted for his first birdie of the day on a par-5.
Woods hit a nice pitching wedge to the dangerous par-3 17th hole, finishing seven feet left of the hole. The birdie putt slid right and he settled for a par. Woods finished off the day by two-putting the par-4 18th for par from 33 feet.
"I just kept hitting those spinners to the right," said Woods. "It was very frustrating."
Woods said everything is correctable.
"It's not that bad," he said. "If I had a two-way miss, I'd be a little more concerned than I am now.
"We know what it is. It's just a matter of doing it."
Next up for Woods is Tiger Jam XII in Las Vegas, where he will host a benefit concert on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center featuring Grammy Award winner No Doubt. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and select Las Vegas charities.
"We've got a little bit of work to do," he said.