After a solid week at the tournament he hosts, Tiger Woods is looking forward to the test of retaining the Presidents Cup when his side comes up against the Internationals at Royal Melbourne.
Woods did not win the Hero World Challenge, his final-round 69 leaving him solo fourth, four back of winner Henrik Stenson at Albany Golf Club as he struggle for precision with his irons.
‘I wish I could have hit the ball a little bit closer,’ he said.
‘I had a few 9‑irons on down I normally would hit in there a little bit closer than I did this week. If I would have given myself a few more looks, this might have been a different story, but I just didn’t.’
Woods, who will be the first playing captain since 1994 at the Presidents Cup, was pleased with the performance of his 10 teammates in the field at the Hero.
‘I’m very happy with most of the team,’ Woods said. ‘The fact that 11 out of 12 guys played this week, some played well, some didn’t, but at least they were able to knock off some rust, get some feel.’
Patrick Reed was the top finisher for the Americans, his final-round 66 leaving him in solo third, two back. Then came Woods and playing partner Justin Thomas (70, T5).
Gary Woodland, the 54-hole leader, struggled to a final-round 73 to finish T7, six back. Rickie Fowler, who hadn’t competed on the PGA TOUR since August, shot 68 to finish ninth.
‘Rickie hasn’t played since the TOUR Championship; it was nice to see him get four rounds in,’ Woods said. G’et the feeling back in his hands and his body and hitting shots again. It’s so different playing at home for cash versus playing out here with a scorecard, so it was nice to see.’
Xander Schauffele (68) and Webb Simpson (69) had a quiet week, finishing T10 with teammate Tony Finau (65), whose week was anything but quiet.
Having pledged to donate $2,000 per birdie and $5,000 per eagle to the ONE Bahamas Fund after Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama, Finau opened with a 79 and decamped for the driving range. He was 14 under from there, closing with a 65 to finish T10, 11 back, and on Twitter called it the ultimate ‘not how you start but how you finish week.’
Matt Kuchar (73, 14th) struggled in the final round, while Bryson DeChambeau (opening 76, closing 68, 15th place) was up and down. Patrick Cantlay (71, 17th place) never broke 70.
Dustin Johnson, the final member of the American squad, did not play the Hero, instead choosing to give himself one last week of rehabilitation for his knee. He was set to join his teammates in Nassau for the long plane ride to the Presidents Cup.
‘Hopefully Dustin’s feeling a little bit better,’ Woods said. ‘Hopefully swelling stays down over the next 23 hours because it’s a long flight down there. The guys will be ready.’
