Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
After a great Round 3 put Tiger Woods close to contention at the Genesis Invitational, the superstar struggled in his final round while shooting 73.
Woods finished one stroke under par for the tournament, putting him outside the top 40.
Simply making the cut was an accomplishment for the 47-year-old, who hadn’t played in an official PGA Tour event in seven months. He then turned heads Saturday with a 67, the four-under being his best score to par since 2020.
It appeared he would keep it going early Sunday with a birdie on his first hole:
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Opening birdie for @TigerWoods 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bUkPrs6PPk
Cillian Sheridan @CillianSheridan
Tiger with a birdie on the first in his Sunday red pic.twitter.com/0dnixZbRwg
Between the outfit and the birdies, it looked just like old times for the 15-time major winner.
His birdie on No. 13 was one of the best putts of the day:
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
.@TigerWoods to get back under par 👏 pic.twitter.com/C3oAMuzqGU
There were some other quality shots throughout the round as he tried to keep up on the leaderboard:
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
Right at the flagstick @TigerWoods ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/0TpultQ1Gf
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR
The flatstick is heating up 🔥 @TigerWoods gets up-and-down from the bunker on No. 3 @TheGenesisInv. pic.twitter.com/bQbvQ4ozCC
Golf Central @GolfCentral
After a bogey at the fifth to drop him to even par for the day, Tiger Woods hits this to 7 feet at the par-3 sixth:pic.twitter.com/ggtZBSdpM3
JT The Brick @JTTheBrick
Tiger made some nice birdie putts and par saves this week. His driver was outstanding. Irons look fine. The putter will be the key for him winning again. He also has more knowledge on the greens than anyone other than Jack. @TheMasters will be fun!
He finished with three birdies with his approach game especially standing out for him.
The consistency still wasn’t there for Woods, who had five bogeys on the day. He will certainly be disappointed in the missed opportunities:
Bob Harig @BobHarig
Tiger can’t get a 7-footer for birdie to drop at the par-3 sixth. Hit a great shot in there but didn’t play enough break… #GenesisInvitational
Kyle Porter @KylePorterCBS
I think this week is representative of who Tiger is going to be for now. Various glimpses of the historically great player he’s been for the last 25 years that make you believe something irrational could take place. Simultaneously a peek at a future version that literally doesn’t… https://t.co/1FisrAiRU8
The tournament was still a success for Woods, who had been dealing with foot injuries this year after undergoing major surgery on his leg.
This was just the second time playing four official competitive rounds since his 2021 car crash—the other being last year’s Masters. He also played the tournament’s Pro-Am on Wednesday, walking all 18 holes.
His recovery could put him on track to compete at the 2023 Masters in April and potentially other high-profile events.