Tiger makes a run, but comes up short Sunday at BMW
Tiger Woods didn’t get the win, but finished strong to tie for fourth in the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. He fired a 4-under-par 68 on Sunday and wound up at 17-under 271, three strokes behind winner Rory McIlroy in the third event of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup playoffs.
“Rory is putting on a show out there,” Woods said of the 23-year-old McIlroy, who won for the second-consecutive week. “And we’ve got one more tournament to go.”
The final event is the TOUR Championship, Sept. 20-23 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. The 30-player field was determined through overall points accumulated. McIlroy ranks first, followed by Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson and Brant Snedeker. If any of the top five win, they will earn the $10 million prize.
Tiger previously claimed FedExCup titles in 2007 and 2009. He will be paired with McIlory in the first round.
On Sunday, Woods began the final round of the BMW Championship three strokes off the pace set by Mickelson and Singh. Playing with Dustin Johnson, Tiger made five birdies and one bogey. Although he never mounted a serious challenge, Woods played the last 11 holes in 4-under.
“As I said yesterday, it was going to take a 63 or a 64 to give myself a chance, and that was the number,” he said.
Woods has now finished in the top 11 in five of his last six starts, including a third-place showing last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Tiger got off to a good start Sunday by sinking a 13-foot birdie putt at the 442-yard, par-4 second hole. He gave it back with his lone bogey at the 201-yard, par-3 sixth hole. Woods birdied the 456-yard, par-4 eighth hole, knocking his approach shot from 145 yards within 10 feet of the cup and making the putt. He parred the par-5 ninth hole, unable to convert a 13-foot birdie attempt and made the turn in 1-under 35.
After pars at 10 and 11, Tiger birdied the 424-yard, par-4 12th, where he hit his approach shot from 163 yards to seven feet and poured in the putt. He just missed a 13-foot birdie try at the par-3 13th, then birdied the 497-yard, par-4 14th, drilling a 13-foot putt.
Woods squandered a great birdie opportunity at the 523-yard, par-5 15th, missing from six feet, but flagged his second shot at the 420-yard, par-4 16th from 142 yards to three feet and sunk the putt. He ended the round with two-putt pars at 17 and 18.
After playing the par-5s in 9-under the first three rounds, Tiger toured them in even-par on Sunday.
For the day, he hit 83 percent of the greens and 57 percent of the fairways in regulation and used 29 putts.
