AKRON, Ohio -- Tiger Woods played Sunday at Firestone the way he's played Sunday at Firestone before.
Because of his putting woes earlier in the Bridgestone Invitational, Woods wasn't ever in serious contention here. But he leaves for next week's PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort thinking his body and his game are in good shape.
Woods, a three-time winner this year, holds himself to very high standards. And he's honed in on Kiawah, putting four rounds together and starting the next chapter in his amazing career.
"I feel very good about where I am," Woods said Sunday. "I'm excited about it."
He's realistic about it, too. Woods knows he won't really be back until he wins a major.
"I've said this many times in the past, (that) winning golf tournaments makes it a successful year," Woods said upon arrival at Firestone. "But winning a major makes it a great year. You can go from having a so-so year to all of a sudden winning one major, and all of a sudden it's a great year because you're part of history when you do something like that."
A guy who's won 14 of them would know.
Woods didn't arrive at Firestone until Wednesday afternoon because he'd been at Kiawah for two days of practice. Two days of rain made the course soft, and hot and dry conditions are forecast for next week, but Woods got a feel for the course and got to continue making what he called "steps in the right direction" towards regaining his top form.
For the first time since 2009, Woods encounters a major on a course he's previously never played a professional tournament.
"It's going to be long (at Kiawah)," he said. "I think it's going to be close to 7,700 yards, and that's a big ballpark. The greens are going to be firm. It's going to be a great test...a great environment."
Woods fired a four-under 66 -- he made four birdies on the front nine -- on Sunday and finished the Bridgestone in a tie for eighth. He was three-under after 11 holes in the first round on Thursday and felt good about that because he hadn't yet found his putting stroke.
He didn't until Saturday afternoon. Woods shot even-par 70 on Thursday and was plus-two after both Friday and Saturday's rounds. What he called a bunch of "bad putts" had essentially ended his chances of winning an eighth Bridgestone Invitational by Friday afternoon.
"I putted well the last two days here, which was good," he said. "I made some putts and more importantly I hit the ball on my start lines, and that's something I did not do the first couple days. At least every putt was starting on the right line, an that's something I'm very excited about going into next week."
Not even 30 minutes after he finished his round Sunday he was gone from Firestone, in a car and headed for the airport. He felt good about his performance here, and his focus is squarely on winning his first major in 50 months, since the 2008 U.S. Open.
"I played well (in the final round at Firestone)," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots and never really sniffed making a bogey all day."
Woods heads to Kiawah with realistic expectations of the next one -- finally -- being the one.
