Tiger Woods finished 15th out of 18 players in the 2016 Hero World Challenge, shooting a 4-over 76 on Sunday to tumble out of the top five and into the bottom of the pack among the 17 players who finished all 72 holes at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. (Justin Rose withdrew after Round 1 with a back injury.)
Woods finished at 4-under 284 for the tournament, ending up 14 shots back of winner Hideki Matsuyama, who won for the fourth time in five worldwide starts.
"I think it was a great week to be back playing again, competing and playing against some of the best players in the world," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I made a lot of mistakes this week. A lot of birdies, but also made a lot of mistakes."
The 14-time major champion led the field in birdies or better, leading the stat with Matsuyama. However, a number of double bogeys through the week cost Woods shots and momentum. Woods said his course management was to blame, along with relative rust and a lack of stamina.
"I made some poor decisions, missed the ball in some wrong spots, and quite frankly, you know, it feels a little weird not to play in a cart," said Woods, who had spent the last 45 days getting back into tournament-walking shape. "So it's a little different and I'm getting used to that, getting my legs back, getting my body back."
Woods did better in his comeback start that a lot of folks thought going into the week. Most thought his position on the final leaderboard and how much money he made didn't matter. Rather, it mattered most that Woods finished 72 holes healthy and without any problems related to his thrice-operated back. Woods accomplished that.
