How Tiger Woods Played At The 2018 Masters

Despite oddsmakers listing him among the favorites, Tiger Woods never found himself in serious contention at the Masters. After a long absence from Augusta National, Woods posted some strong efforts in tournaments leading up to the major, but settled on Sunday for a 1-over 289 and tied for 32nd, while 27-year-old American Patrick Reed captured his first green jacket.

Scores of 73, 75 and 72 across the first three days left Woods 18 shots behind the leader and tied for 40th place entering the final round. The four-time Masters champion finished the final round with a 3-under 69. He admitted missteps, claiming he "putted awful."

It was still a respectable finish for Woods, who had not played at Augusta since 2015 and after worries that his golf career was over after four back surgeries. He said on Sunday that he was "progressing" and that "it feels good" to have competed as well as he had.

One of Sunday's highlights was a 232-yard drive on the fourth hole that was nearly a hole-in-one. It instead hit the back of the cup, as Woods would settle for a nine-foot birdie. He ended up with two birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the back nine. Woods delighted the crowd with his eagle at the 15th, curling a 30-footer downhill.

But his run at Augusta National ended on a disappointing note — a three-putt bogey on the final hole.

"I thoroughly missed it. I missed playing major championships," Woods told CBS on Sunday. "It's been 2 1/2, three years since I've played in a major championship and normally I build my schedules around them. This was great to be back and be able to play in a major again and to have an opportunity to win the title at the beginning of the week.

"Obviously, it didn't pan out. I didn't hit my irons good enough, I didn't make enough birdies, I made too many mistakes. But overall, it was fun to be able to compete again and play in the Masters."

Woods entered the Masters with lofty expectations after top-five finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Valspar Championship.

“He came off some really good play in Florida but, unfortunately, there are still too many things wrong with his game," three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo said, according to the Telegraph. “He is struggling with his irons. This has been a wake-up call with what the leaders have done this week. He is still a long way off.”