Woods Finishes Wells Fargo Tied For 55th

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a frustrating week on the greens, Tiger Woods was already looking forward to his next event before leaving Quail Hollow Club on Sunday.

“It’s just one of those weeks and I’m on to the next week, which is nice,” he said. “That’s one of the great things about playing golf is that once the tournament is over you’re on to the next week.”

Unable to sustain momentum from Saturday’s 3-under-par 68, Woods closed with a 3-over 74 and tied for 55th at 2-over 286. Jason Day claimed the title with a 12-under score of 272.

A former champion at Quail Hollow, Woods never got the feel of the renovated putting surfaces and required more than 30 putts in every round. All told, he used 126.

“I just didn’t hit good putts, and on top of that, the ones I did hit well, I didn’t have enough speed on them,” he said.

On Sunday, Woods failed to record a birdie for only the 11th time in his PGA Tour career and the sixth in a non-major. It last occurred in the final round at Doral in 2014.

“I got shut out,” said Woods.

His ball-striking was solid and he averaged 313 yards off the tee. But Woods only hit four of 14 fairways on Sunday and 25 of 56 for the week.

“I hit the ball halfway decent today,” said Woods. “Hit some good drives that just ended up off the fairway, some landed in the fairway, so I wasn’t disappointed with that.”

Despite his struggles, he had nothing but appreciation for the Charlotte-area crowds.

“Having not played here in six years, it really meant a lot to me to receive so much love and support from the fans all week,” Woods said. “I won’t forget it.”

Woods knows what to work on for next week’s Players Championship at TPC-Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

“I obviously need to do some practicing with my putter,” he said. “I know those greens and I know those putts. You can’t get away with hitting the ball poorly on that golf course. I’ll still be grinding and working on my swing.”

Woods is returning for the first time since 2015 and has had good success, winning in 2013 and 2001, and finished second in 2000. He also won the 1994 U.S. Amateur at TPC-Sawgrass.

Woods knows what to expect from the demanding Pete Dye layout, including lots of mounds, uneven lies, undulating greens, sand, water and funky bounces.

“It’s one of those golf courses where when you’re on, it seems so easy because every one of the balls funnels into the correct spot,” said Woods. “If you’re not on, then you’re always in the wrong spot and it’s a very difficult week.”

The PGA Tour announced Sunday that Woods will play the first two rounds with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. The last time Woods and Mickelson were paired in an important tournament was at the 2014 PGA Championship. They also played together at the 2001 Players Championship.

“I do enjoy it because we don’t get to do it very often,” Woods said.