Tiger Woods is (almost) back.
Golf fans who were looking for a sign of life from Woods got it and then some on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, but the 14-time major champion came up just short of setting the sports world on fire at the 18th hole. Tiger had a lengthy putt that would have forced a playoff, and the magic wasn’t quite there.
What a ride.
Tiger Woods finishes 1 short of forcing a playoff.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/70hs4VSaBE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2018
Woods was only in position to force a playoff because he turned back the clock on the 17th hole. Trailing the leaders by two, Tiger drained a tricky 44-foot birdie to ignite the crowd.
TIGER WOODS!!!!!
1. Shot. Back. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/EzmFJvu0sN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2018
Paul Casey ended up winning the tournament with a score of 10-under.
All in all, the performance was a great sign for Tiger with the Masters less than a month away. He struck the ball well and — more importantly — played four strong rounds and showed no signs of his surgically-repaired back bothering him. Assuming he has no setbacks from now until April 5, don’t be surprised if Woods is the Vegas favorite to take home his fifth green jacket.
