Back-nine charge comes up short at Masters

Tiger Woods overcame a tough start Sunday to tie for fourth in the 77th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in rainy Augusta, Ga. He closed with a final-round 2-under-par 70 and finished at 5-under 283, four strokes behind Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera.

Scott won his first green jacket with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden death playoff, becoming the first Australian to capture the tournament.

Woods, a four-time winner of the Masters, now has 11 top-five finishes and 13 top 10s in 19 starts at Augusta National.

On Sunday, he began play tied for seventh, four strokes off the lead, but failed to make up ground on the front nine. Unable to adjust to the slower greens, he continually left putts short.

“I had a hard time getting accustomed to the speed,” Woods said. “The speed was so much slower than yesterday. I struggled hitting putts hard enough.”

Paired with Tim Clark of Australia, Tiger parred the first four holes, missing an eight-foot birdie attempt at the par-4 third. After parring No. 4, he three-putted the 455-yard, par-5 fifth hole for a bogey — his fourth three-putt of the tournament.

With light rain getting heavier, Woods left a 12-foot birdie try short from the back fringe at the 180-yard, downhill par-3 sixth hole, then bogeyed the 450-yard, par-4 seventh. At the latter, he hit a tree off the tee, found the front bunker with his approach shot, blasted 10 feet past the pin and missed the putt.

Following a long two-putt par at the par-5 eighth, Tiger finally made a move with a nice approach shot to the 460-yard, par-4 ninth, the ball stopping 10 feet right of the cup. Woods knocked it in and made the turn in 1-over 37, seven strokes behind the pacesetting Cabrera.

Tiger made it two in a row with a 15-foot birdie putt at the 495-yard, par-4 10th hole. At the tough, 505-yard, par-4 11th, he blocked his drive way right, then launched a 9-iron over the pine trees from 182 yards and caught the front-left fringe near the green. Woods almost sunk his chip shot but settled for par.

At the 157-yard, par-3 12th, Tiger smoothed a 9-iron about 14 feet left of the hole, but couldn’t convert, missing left. Desperately needing to make more birdies, Woods played aggressively at the 510-yard, par-5 13th, going with driver off the tee. The ball veered right into pine straw and near a tree, but Tiger flushed a mid-iron from 210 yards onto the left-center of the green and two-putted for a birdie.

After a nice up-and-down par save at 14, Tiger hit a good drive at the 530-yard, par-5 15th hole, leaving 206 yards to the green. He hit a 6-iron about 30 feet right of the cup and two-putted for a birdie.

Woods made another nice swing at the 178-yard, par-3 16th hole, his 8-iron finishing about 12 feet past the pin. But his birdie attempt never had a chance and missed to the right.

Following a two-putt par at 17, Tiger hit a good drive at 18 but came up short in the bunker with his approach shot. From there, he blasted about eight feet beyond the hole and poured in the par putt to finish strong.

Despite the rough start, Woods played the last 11 holes 4-under. For the day, he hit 13 of 18 greens and 7 of 14 fairways in regulation and used 31 putts, only 14 on the back nine.

Tiger said his goal on Sunday was to shoot 65.

“That was the number,” he said. “I thought if I shot 65, I would have won it outright and it turns out that was the number.”

For the week, Woods played the front nine in a combined 4-under and the back nine in 1-under. He only managed to play the par-5s in 4-under, but was obviously hurt by the triple-bogey he made at 15 on Friday.

It was likely the turning point of the tournament for Tiger. He flagged his third shot with a 60-degree wedge and the ball hit the pin and caromed backward into a water hazard. Woods salvaged an apparent bogey, but was later penalized two strokes — correctly — for making an improper drop. The sequence probably cost him four strokes.

“I played well,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I just didn’t make enough putts. I also missed a few shots here and there. I certainly had an opportunity today.”