Woods: 'Off week at the wrong time'

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The next major is 2 months from now, when the U.S. Open goes back to The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The last time it was there, in 1998, Tiger Woods tied for 18th as a 22-year-old. This time he will be heading there as a guy who hasn't added any legs of the Grand Slam to his resume since getting his third national championship in 2008.

He came here with great expectations, after getting his first PGA Tour victory in 2 1/2 years just 2 weeks ago.

The four-time Masters winner leaves on a renewed quest for more answers.

The good news was he closed with a birdie, only his third on the back nine all week, for a 74 that gave him a 293, which tied his worst 72-hole score here. That was in his debut in 1995. He missed the cut the next year. He hadn't finished worst than sixth since 2004.

He also made his second birdie on a par 5 (and No. 2), and first since the front nine on Thursday. He played the four longest holes in 1-under. In 16 previous Masters he had toured them in 133-under.

Woods did tie pretourney co-favorite Rory McIlroy, the reigning U.S. Open champ and your 63-hole leader last April before that inward 43. The 22-year-old Northern Irishman had to birdie two of the last four for a 76. Funny how that works out sometimes.

"It was a very difficult [week]," said Woods, who had a few tantrums involving clubs and non-PC language during the course of it. "It was an off week at the wrong time. I didn't hit the ball very good. What's frustrating is I know what to do, and I just don't do it. I fall back into the same old patterns again. Thank God my short game was good.

"You're not going to play well every week. Unfortunately it was this week for me. I've got to go back, do some work, and be ready for the next one."

For those really thinking ahead, July's British Open is at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where Woods tied for 25th in 2001 and tied for 22nd in 1996 as an amateur. He also has won that major three times, but not since 2006.

Patrick Cantlay, in his Masters debut, got low amateur by closing with a 72 for 295 that included five birdies, an eagle on the par-4 seventh and another on the par-5 15th. He also made a 9 on the par-5 13th . . . Bo Van Pelt shot a bogeyless 64, the low round of the week, to get to 287. He eagled the par-5 13th, where he missed holing out for a 2 by inches, and aced the 16th after going 3-over there the previous two rounds . . . Fred Couples, who won here 20 years ago and at 52 shared the second-round lead, finished with 72 for 286.