Tiger’s charge falls just short in Kuala Lumpur

Tiger Woods closed with a bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 Sunday and tied for fourth in the CIMB Classic at The MINES Resort and Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He finished with a 72-hole score of 19-under 265, three strokes behind winner Nick Watney.

“I wanted to get to 20-plus under,” said Woods. “That was the goal.”

Playing in hot, humid conditions for the fourth-straight day, Woods wasn’t sure how much weight he lost, but knows he is lighter than when he started the tournament.

“I’m on my last notch on these pants and they’re still too big,” Woods smiled.

Had it not been for a tough finish on Saturday, Tiger would have been in the hunt Sunday afternoon.

“The back nine is what cost me a chance to win the tournament,” he said. “I hit a bunch of good shots. I just had one bad stretch. Other than that, I played really well.”

Paired with Ben Crane for the second consecutive day, Woods blitzed the front nine with a 5-under 30, making birdies at 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7. He added three more on the back nine at 10, 16 and 17, and just missed a 12-footer at 18.

“It was soft and we had ball in hand again,” Woods said of the preferred lies.

On Monday, Tiger will compete against Rory McIlroy in a one-day exhibition match at Lake Jinsha International Golf Club in Zhengzhou, China. Woods enters as the second-ranked player in the world, while McIlroy is ranked No. 1.