Tiger Woods couldn’t recapture the impressive form of his Saturday performance in his find round of the Genesis invitational, but as he rolled in his putt for par on the 18th, he could make his way to the clubhouse with his head held high.
Even though Woods’ final round of 73 was couldn’t match the heights of 67 that preceded it a day earlier, the fact he completed four rounds for only the second time since his return from injury at last year’s Masters was an achievement in itself.
If Saturday’s round, which included three birdies and an eagle evoked memories of the 15-time Major winner in his heyday, Sunday’s effort will have left him frustrated as errors crept into his game, including a few too many putts that came up short, to leave him on one under for the tournament.
This time, Woods could only manage two birdies, but more damaging were the five bogeys that peppered the round. There were still moments to savour, not least a stunning birdie putt at the 13th from off the green that made amends for a bogey on the 12th.
.@TigerWoods to get back under par 👏 pic.twitter.com/C3oAMuzqGUFebruary 19, 2023
The sequence was repeated on the 15th and 16th holes, when he bogeyed the first of them thanks to missing a four-foot putt before hitting his tee shot to within six feet of the hole on the 16th before holing the putt.
Two pars followed to finish his round and afterwards, Woods admitted the progress he had showed had been encouraging, but not without its challenges. He said: “Yeah, it means a lot. It’s progress, headed in the right direction, yes. It certainly was a little bit more difficult than I probably let on. My team has been fantastic in getting my body recovered day to day and getting me ready to play each and every day. “
Woods also admitted he has one eye on playing all four of this year’s Majors, starting with April’s Masters. However, despite his highly creditable four days and fewer signs of physical struggle than last year’s performances, he reiterated that he can’t envisage a return to a regular PGA Tour schedule.
He said: “Here’s the deal: Like I told you guys last year, I’m not going to play any more than probably the Majors and maybe a couple more. That’s it, that’s all my body will allow me to do. My back the way it is, all the surgeries I had on my back, my leg the way it is, I just can’t.
“That’s just going to be my future. So my intent last year was to play in all four Majors, I got three of the four….
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