Despite logging three PGA Tour wins this season, Tiger Woods is having his second-worst year of his career in the fourth round.
Woods closed with 5-over 76 on Sunday at The Barclays, dropping from 4 under to 1 over, falling almost a dozen shots behind the pace set at Bethpage Black in the FedEx Cup playoff opener.
The 76 is the third-worst final-round score of his career. He had posted 77 twice - in the '98 Bay Hill Invitational and two years ago at the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Woods won just once in 1998 and didn't win at all in 2010.
He played poorly, compared to his lofty standard, in both of those seasons. This is different, however, as Woods leads the PGA Tour in wins.
Take a look at Woods' fourth-round scoring average on the PGA Tour in each full season of his professional career:
1997 - 70.28
1998 - 70.00
1999 - 70.78
2000 - 68.44
2001 - 68.74
2002 - 67.70
2003 - 69.53
2004 - 70.28
2005 - 69.18
2006 - 68.75
2007 - 68.80
2008 - 70.00
2009 - 68.40
2010 - 71.40
2011 - 69.67
2012 - 70.83
If there's any apt comparison to what Woods has accomplished this year - leading the Tour in wins, but struggling in final rounds - it has to be 1999.
In '99, Woods won seven times, including the PGA Championship. He only broke 70 in six of 18 stroke-play final rounds, however. In the seven wins, he only broke 70 twice. He closed both the Masters and Players with 75. This year? 74 and 73, respectively.
This season, Woods has broken 70 on the final day four times in 12 stroke-play starts - including a career-best 62 to close the Honda Classic.
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