DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods' 72nd and final tee shot in the CA Championship drifted way right, struck a tree and bounced perfectly into the center of the fairway.
It might have been the only break of his week.
Woods shot a final round of 4-under 68 on Sunday, a bogey-free performance that wasn't nearly enough to win the CA Championship. He ranked below the midpoint of the field in putting, and still found a way to tie for ninth at 11-under 277.
"I'm happy with the way I played," Woods said. "I didn't say the way I finished."
Woods has never finished outside the top 10 at Doral, a place where he's won three times. He came into the week saying he was ready to win again, even though it was his first stroke-play tournament since last summer's U.S. Open.
But his putting was a bit off all week; by Woods' count, at least 18 putts either lipped out or just barely missed in the first three rounds. It was the only real sign of rust following his eight-month layoff after knee surgery last year, and he came into Doral having gotten only two rounds in late last month at the Accenture Match Play Championship.
He needed only 26 putts Sunday, three fewer than his average over the first three rounds.
"The good news is, I got better each and every day," Woods said. "My ball-striking, my feel, got better each and every day."
Woods will likely play Bay Hill in two weeks, which would probably be his final start before the Masters next month.
"I've been away so long, I figured it would take me a lot longer to get back," Woods said. "But you know, this week was a big week for me."
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN: Maybe his clothes got in the way.
Henrik Stenson's week to remember ended with a round to forget.
Stenson, the Swede who stripped down to his boxers in a memorable scene to play an errant shot from mucky water in Thursday's opening round, shot an 11-over 83 on Sunday, falling to 10 over for the week.
It was the worst score at Doral since 2002, when Brad Elder shot 83 in the third round.
Stenson birdied the first hole Sunday, and then went on a freefall. He made only one more birdie the rest of the day, after hitting his approach to 4 feet at the par-4 16th.
Everything else on his card was a mess.
Stenson made triple bogey at the par-4 14th, double bogey at the par-4 sixth, and eight other bogeys on the day, including one at the last. He hit only three of 14 fairways in the final round.
The last time a pro was worse at Doral was 1994, when Greg Towne shot 87 in the opening round, on the same day that Brian Kamm and Scott Ford. That was also the year Johnny Miller shot 83 in both the first and second rounds.
Such a big number is really rare at Doral: Over the last decade, the pros have failed to break 80, on average, once every 194 rounds.
AIKEN'S DAY: Thomas Aiken was planning to fly 3,800 miles from Miami to Madeira for this week's European tour stop.
He might change that itinerary.
The South African - who has struggled just to keep his European card in the past - shot a final-round 65 on Sunday and finished tied for seventh. He earned $192,500, which means he should retain his card with ease.
And with that, he's already hoping to see his globetrotting schedule calm down a bit.
