Tiger’s Sunday Drive Nets 65

Even when Tiger Woods appears to be out of contention on the final day of a golf tournament, it seems as though he really is in contention. At least that’s the way it went Sunday during the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club.

The shirt he wore, while a more subtle red than what he usually wears for his victory marches, should have been a sign. Woods fired a crisp six-under-par 65 Sunday and vaulted from a tie for 28th into a tie for fifth at six-under-par 278. He started 11 strokes out of the lead but finished three shots behind winner Mike Weir -- and it easily could have been better.

He made par at the first hole, an easily reachable 503-yard par five that played as the easiest hole on the course, and missed an eight-foot par putt on 16. A birdie on No. 1 and a par at No. 16 could have pulled him to within a shot of the lead and who knows what might have happened if the leaders had seen Woods lurking that close. Still, Woods acknowledged, a miracle comeback was unlikely even after he made four consecutive birdies on Nos. 8-11 and pulled to within six shots of the lead.

“I had to birdie in probably,” Woods said. “It wasn’t looking good to win, put it that way.”

His 65 was the best round Sunday and tied for the best round at Riviera all week. He made amends for a two-over-par 73 Saturday that included five bogeys and a double bogey, forcing Woods to concede defeat.

Woods said his mind-set Sunday wasn’t to try for a miracle comeback. “The thing is just go out there and play a good solid round, shoot something in the mid-60s so you feel positive about going into next week,” Woods said. “I felt I have played well intermittently this week and today I wanted to go out there and play well for an entire 18 holes, and I really did hit some good shots today.”

Woods kept the same aggressive approach Sunday that he played with Saturday, but Sunday the shots went where he aimed. He stuffed iron shots in close all day and didn’t have a putt longer than 12 feet on any of his seven birdies.

Even on the six greens he missed, Woods managed to save par on five of them. His only bogey came on the par-three 16th, where he missed the green, chipped to within eight feet and missed the putt. It was the only putt inside of 12 feet that Woods missed Sunday. “I hit the ball a lot better today and I made a lot of putts so you put those two things together, you’ll be doing all right,” Woods said.

Woods is now 0 for 8 in PGA Tour events in Los Angeles. He has a fifth-place to go with two runner-up finishes in eight tries here, but the Nissan Open remains the only tournament Woods has played at least five times without winning. The first two times he played as an amateur.

“I haven’t played well for four straight days here,” Woods said. “This golf course will definitely penalize you for that. I didn’t put four straight rounds together and on this golf course you have to do that. You can’t go out there and scrap it around and hit all over the lot. You’ve got to hit the ball well.”

His predicament of playing while seemingly not in contention didn’t disrupt the size of his galleries. Fans lined the fairways for each hole and the crowds grew larger and larger as word spread of his spectacular round in progress.

The loyal fans followed all day, cheering and carrying signs. One fan, a pregnant woman, scribbled “Go Tiger” on her belly and flashed Woods with it as he walked from the 15th green to the 16th tee. Woods chuckled.

“It wasn’t mine,” he joked.

The woman was only in her second trimester, at least four months from giving birth. Woods, however, clearly was ready to deliver Sunday.

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Hole by Hole: Final Round

No. 1, 503 yards, par 5

Using a three wood, the same club he used to hook his tee shot out of bounds Saturday, Woods hits a pure shot down the middle. His long iron approach hits the green but bounces over and his pitch shot comes up short. His 20-foot birdie putt hits the edge of the cup and spins around the hole, but doesn’t drop. Woods taps in for par on the easiest hole at Riviera.

No. 2, 463 yards, par 4

A low, boring three-wood tee shot finds the middle of the fairway. His approach shot comes up short and right of the green. His flop shot rolls 12 feet past the hole and his putt again circles the hole, but this time it drops for a par.

No. 3, 434 yards, par 4

A flush driver shot sails down the middle. Woods sticks his short iron approach shot to within five feet and makes the putt for birdie.

No. 4, 236 yards, par 3

A long iron shot off the tee hits the green and bounds past the pin to the back fringe. Using a putter from 40 feet, the ball stays left of the hole. Woods makes a three-foot putt coming back for par.

No. 5, 434 yards, par 4

Woods hits a two-iron into the first cut of rough on the left. His approach shot comes up short, but he chips up to within a foot and saves the par.

No. 6, 199 yards, par 3

A nice par here begins with a flared tee shot into the front left bunker. Woods plays the bunker shot long on purpose and it rolls up an embankment behind the hole, then trickles back down to within five feet. He makes the putt.

No. 7, 408 yards, par 4

A two-iron tee shot rolls into the first cut of right rough. The approach is short and in the left fringe. Woods chips to within two feet and makes the putt for par.

No. 8, 433 yards, par 4

A perfect three wood down the middle sets up a short approach shot. Woods takes dead aim at the front left pin and sticks it to within six feet. He makes the putt for a birdie.

No. 9, 458 yards, par 4

Woods hits his best driver shot of the day, a 294-yard bomb down the middle. His approach shot hits the front of the green, releases back to the flag and stops seven feet past the hole. A touchy downhill putt trickles into the center of the hole for a birdie.

No. 10, 315 yards, par 4

To the delight of fans, Woods takes his driver out of the bag. His shot hits the green, but bounces over into a big clump of grass in the rough. Hitting sharply down on the ball, Woods pops it onto the fringe and it releases toward the hole. His 12-foot putt goes in for a third consecutive birdie.

No. 11, 564 yards, par 5

A low tee shot with the driver lands on the left side of the fairway. A three wood from 280 yards comes up just short in the right fringe. Woods chips up over a mound to within two feet and makes the putt for a fourth birdie in a row.

No. 12, 460 yards, par 4

A low, running three-wood shot finds the middle of the fairway. Woods aims directly at the flag again and knocks his approach to within 18 feet. The putt looks good all the way, but stops on the left edge of the hole, ending the birdie streak.

No. 13, 459 yards, par 4

Woods pushes his three-wood shot off the tee into the gallery on the right. He requests a ruling when he finds his ball on top of some television cables and gets a free drop. He has a clear shot at the pin on the left and fires at it. The ball rolls 15 feet past the pin and Woods two-putts for par.

No. 14, 176 yards, par 3

A high iron shot off the tee hits the green, but comes up well short of the hole. His 40-foot birdie attempt doesn’t break as much as he thought it would and he ends up with another par.

No. 15, 487 yards, par 4

A perfect high fade with his driver leaves Woods in the middle of the fairway. He stops in the middle of his swing to chase away a butterfly, then plays his shot to the left of the flag. His 25-foot uphill putt misses left and Woods taps in for par.

No. 16, 166 yards, par 3

A high, short iron shot comes up short, but clears the front bunker. Woods chips from the thick kikuyu grass, but the ball rolls eight feet past the hole. From there, Woods misses his putt to the left and taps in for a bogey.

No. 17, 576 yards, par 5

Woods pulls his driver into the left rough, but gets a break when he finds the ball sitting up in a nice lie. Going for the green from 290 yards, he hits a three wood out to the right and it comes up short. A high flop shot lands eight feet from the hole and Woods drains that for a birdie.

No. 18, 451 yards, par 4

Woods hits a low, boring tee shot with his driver into the left-center portion of the fairway. From there, 168 yards out, he knocks his approach shot to within two feet, drawing a loud ovation from the gallery. Woods makes the putt to finish with a six-under-par 65.

-- Peter Yoon