Tiger struggles early, finishes strong in final round at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Not even a player of the Tiger Woods’ caliber can give up a big head start to the field at Pebble Beach and expect to contend. Woods continued a frustrating trend at the U.S. Open in Sunday’s final round, failing to take advantage of the easiest stretch on the golf course. Related: Leaderboard | Tiger’s Jedi mind tricks at 2000 U.S. Open In fact, Woods was 4-over through six holes, giving up any chance of a miracle 82nd PGA TOUR victory. But he fought back impressively through the tougher sections of Pebble Beach, making six birdies to shoot a 2-under 69 – his best score of the week. At 2-under for the championship, Woods snagged a T20 finish at the venue where we won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 shots. He’s projected to move to 17th in the FedExCup. The first seven holes at Pebble Beach included the three easiest of the tournament, with the field playing them in 96-under-par. Woods played them in 3-over throughout his four rounds. “Got off to another crappy start and was able to fight it off. Turned back around and got it to under par for the week which, normally, it’s a good thing, but this week the guys are definitely taking to it,â€� Woods said. The 43-year-old was at least proud of his fighting qualities. “Just because I got off to a bad start doesn’t mean it’s over. Keep grinding, keep playing,â€� Woods added. “It was just a matter of can I somehow get it back to even par for the day and the total. And that was our goal. Happened to get a couple more out of it which is great.â€� Before ramping up his preparation for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush next month, he intends to take some time off. His biggest smile of the week came off the 18th green Sunday, when he got a Father’s Day hug from his kids. “It’s just trying to wind down from the championship as well as my lifts and getting back into it,â€� Woods said. “And I know that Florida will not be the same temperature as Northern Ireland. I’m not going to be practicing with any sweaters at home, but it will be nice to get to Portrush and get with it again. “I’ve never been up to Portrush, and I’m looking forward to getting up there and taking a look at the golf course and trying to figure it out. I hope that my practice rounds are such that we get different winds, especially on a golf course that I’ve never played, and to get a different feel how it could play for the week. And definitely have to do my homework once I get there.â€�

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