Valspar Championship: Paul Casey edges out Tiger Woods

Final leaderboard

-10 Paul Casey

-9 Patrick Reed, Tiger Woods

Day four report

Paul Casey won his first PGA Tour title in almost a decade as Tiger Woods came up one shot short in the Valspar Championship.

Starting the final round five adrift of leader Corey Conners and four behind Woods, Casey produced a closing 65 to post a clubhouse target which nobody would match.

Casey finished his round well in advance of the leading groups and watched on as, one by one, the remaining challengers faded away.

After Patrick Reed clumsily three-putted the final hole when tied for the lead, Woods was the last man who could match Casey but his mid-range birdie putt failed to find its target, leaving the Englishman to collect his first success in the US since the Shell Houston Open almost a decade ago.

Woods was tied for the lead after a birdie at the first, but gave the shot back at the par-three fourth after an aggressive chip ran five-feet past the hole and the return putt slid by.

The 14-time major champion endured a frustrating run thereafter, with his iron play less sharp than it had been and his putter stone cold, but in a moment of customary brilliance found a long-range birdie at the 17th to keep his hopes alive.

But the speed of the greens had proved problematic all day, and Woods was unable to get his final chance to the hole as his bid for a first title since 2013 came up agonisingly short.

"I thought I held up really well," said Woods. "I was just grinding. It's what my dad taught me.

"It felt very comfortable. My game is sharp. It was a good day, unfortunately I just didn't hit the ball close enough."

Reed had been favourite for much of the back-nine after drawing level with Casey's clubhouse target with a birdie at the par-five 14th, but after a missed chance at the 17th he made a hash of things on the final green, a long-range putt for the title coming back to his feet having failed to make it to the upper tier.

Justin Rose started the final round alongside Woods but back-to-back bogeys at holes 12 and 13 derailed his challenge, while Conners endured a nightmare Sunday in which he failed to pick up a single birdie.

Casey, on the other hand, made three in a row from the 11th to hit the front and it soon became clear that, at the very least, he would likely be in a play-off. As Reed stuttered and Woods came up short, the 40-year-old ended his stateside hoodoo and with it all but secured a return to the European Ryder Cup side.

In an emotional interview after his victory was confirmed, Casey said: "I lost a friend last Saturday. Played with a heavy heart. Maybe that was the difference."

Day three report

Tiger Woods remains right in the hunt for a first PGA Tour title in almost five years, after a third-round 67 at the Valspar Championship.

Four birdies in his first 10 holes on Friday, including a delicate chip-in at the ninth, saw Woods move to the front and while overnight leader Corey Conners managed to wrestle back the advantage, he'll have to see off the 14-time major champion if he's to secure a first PGA Tour title.

Sky Bet make Woods their 9/4 favourite, with Conners quoted at as big as 6/1 to convert his 54-hole lead having led after every round so far.

Woods, seeking his 80th PGA Tour win, looked at ease all day at Copperhead, his sole blemish coming at the demanding par-three 13th when his tee-shot sailed over the green and to an unpromising position from which he did well to make four.

In typical fashion, Woods' response to that bogey was to hit the par-five 14th green in two for the simplest of birdies and, with a string of pars to see out the round, he enters Sunday as one of four key players set to battle it out for the title.

"We had a good time," said Woods. "I played well and the people really got entertained today.

"I've played myself right there in contention. It'll be a fun Sunday."

Also in the mix are Justin Rose (5/2) and Brandt Snedeker (9/2), tied with Woods on eight-under and just one shot off the pace set by Conners.

Rose was delighted with his putter in a sublime 66, whose highlight was a hole-out eagle from 120 yards at the par-five 11th. From there, the former US Open champion was able to pick up two further shots before saving par at the last to earn a place in the final group alongside the impressive Conners.

Snedeker fell two back of Woods after a bogey at the 10th hole, but birdies at 14 and 16 saw him move back alongside his playing partner and the pair will again tee-off together on Sunday.

All eyes will of course be on Woods, who seeks to follow old sparring partner Phil Mickelson into the winners' circle and add a further layer of intrigue to the Masters, which is now less than a month away.

Day two report

A last-hole bogey failed to take the gloss off a superb performance from Tiger Woods as the former world number one continued to impress on the latest leg of his comeback in the Valspar Championship.

Woods showed flashes of his brilliant best in an opening 70 in what is just his fourth PGA Tour event since undergoing spinal fusion surgery - his fourth back operation in three years - last April.

The 14-time major winner surged to the top of the leaderboard for the first time since August 2015 before ending the second round in a tie for second, two shots behind leader Corey Conners.

Sky Bet make Woods the 4/1 favourite to win the tournament.

The 26-year-old Canadian, who started the week as an alternate for the tournament, followed up his opening 67 with a 69, with a double bogey on the fourth - his 13th - his only blemish.

Rory McIlroy will not be back for the weekend, though. The 28-year-old missed the cut after a second-round 73 left him five over par.

With under a month until his latest bid to complete the career grand slam by winning the Masters, McIlroy missed a cut for the second time in five PGA Tour events this year.

There were no such problems for Woods. Starting on the back nine of the testing Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, Woods recovered from a wayward drive on the 10th to make par and also parred the next before holing from five feet for birdie on the 12th.

A superb approach to the 13th set up another birdie from a similar distance and, after a run of six straight pars, another gain on the second took Woods into a share of the lead.

Woods enjoyed a stroke of good fortune on the par-five fifth when his hooked drive appeared to hit a cart path and bounce back on to the fairway.

The 42-year-old took full advantage by finding a greenside bunker with his approach, splashing out to four feet and holing the birdie putt to take the outright lead.

The last time that happened was during the third round of the Wyndham Championship in August 2015 and the last time Woods led outright after a PGA Tour round was after his last win in the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone.

The prospects of the outright lead disappeared with a bogey on the ninth when he pushed his approach right of the green and it finished up in a female spectator's handbag.

After taking a free drop, Woods caught the pin with his chip but was unable to hole from six feet for par, leaving him to sign for a 68.

Woods told PGA Tour Live: "Today was a good day. I keep getting a little bit better here and there, making these little subtle tweaks. I've done that from tournament to tournament, I just need to get a little bit more tournament time in and I think I've done that.

"I'm starting to get a better feel for it, I'm finding the rhythm of the rounds, I'm hitting shots, I don't have a problem posting scores. I'm able to play more feel golf than just trying to figure out how to play golf again."

Playing partners Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson, the last two Open champions, missed the cut after finishing five and six over respectively.

Day one report

Tiger Woods produced some moments of magic as he battled his way to a one-under 70 in the opening round of the Valspar Championship.

Woods, playing in the event for the first time in his career, made five birdies and four bogeys as he kept in touch with leader Corey Conners on four-under.

Having shown positive signs in the Honda Classic last time, there was yet more to like about the game of the 14-time major champion as he broke par without exactly shining with the putter.

Woods started off with a deft pitch to within a foot at the first hole, where he made birdie, and was favourite after birdies at holes 10 and 11 saw him reach two-under.

Those shots were quickly returned as he missed the green at both 12 and 13, but Woods then produced a stunning recovery from trees at the 16th to salvage par before a tee shot to just 19 inches at the par-three 17th saw him move back to one-under.

The club twirl should have given it away. 🐅

Wow. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/vuKjRfOcWi
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2018

A two-putt par at the demanding 18th meant Woods had conquered the course's most demanding stretch - dubbed the 'Snake Pit' - in one-under, the score on which he ended an entertaining first round.

"It was really brutal out there," said Woods, referring to the Florida winds which swept across the course.

"I'm still working on it, I'm getting a little bit better, piece by piece. This was a very good test.

"I'm revved up. I love competing, I love mixing up with these guys. Today was a tough day for everyone."

Conners leads the way despite a bogey at his final hole, while Ben Coley's 150/1 tip Nick Watney is among a three-way tie for second, one shot back, after he carded the best round of the afternoon.

Scotland's Russell Knox was a further shot back after carding 69, while there were signs of encouragement for Luke Donald in a bogey-free 70 which was matched by compatriots Paul Casey and Justin Rose.

Rory McIlroy was three-over through five and ended on that score in a scrappy round of 74, two shots better than Jordan Spieth whose opening 76 was his worst first-round score since this event last year.

Related links

• Sky Bet's latest Valspar odds