All eyes on Woods again
The red shirt didn’t have a collar. His head doesn’t have quite as much hair. His lower spine has been fused.
Everything else about Tiger Woods is starting to look familiar.
For the first time since the late summer of 2013, Woods worked the fans into a frenzy on the weekend and kept them on their toes right to the very end. He wound up one shot — one putt — short to Paul Casey in the Valspar Championship. He broke par all four rounds and tied for second, the first time he had done either of those since the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs in August 2013.
All that did was turn attention to this week at Bay Hill, where Woods has won eight times and twice ended long victory droughts.
He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2009 for his first victory after reconstructive knee surgery. He won there again in 2012 for his first victory since the scandal in his personal life, followed by various leg injuries.
“It’s going to be good for me to get back,” Woods said. “I’ve had some great memories there.”
Casey ended a nine-year drought on the PGA Tour when he took the lead with three straight birdies on the back nine at Innisbrook, saved par over the last four holes for a 6-under 65 and then settled into a leather sofa in the locker room to see if anyone could catch him.
A playoff looked imminent when Patrick Reed tied for the lead with a birdie on the 14th hole and was in the middle of the 18th fairway, 133 yards away, for a chance at birdie for the win or a par to force a playoff. /