Tiger falls just short of first win since 2013 at Valspar

Tiger Woods came oh-so-close to his first tour victory since 2013 at the Valspar Championship on Sunday. But it just wasn't meant to be.

With a chance to tie Englishman Paul Casey for the lead on the 18th hole, Woods' 39-foot birdie putt fell about two feet short to give Casey -- who shot 6-under after teeing off in the ninth-to-last grouping -- his first PGA win since 2009.

Woods, who was looking for his first win since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational, shot a 1-under 70 on Sunday to finish the event tied with Patrick Reed for second place at 9-under 275. Woods had two birdies and one bogey on the day. One of the birdies was a 44-foot putt he rolled in at the 17th to move within a shot of the lead with a hole to play, drawing a thunderous roar from the crowd.

"I had a good shot at winning the tournament," Woods said in a post-round interview on CBS. "A couple putts here and there, and it could've been a different story."

Woods can still hold his head up high after a strong weekend in Palm Harbor, Fla. He earned his first top-two finish in an official event since The Barclays in 2013 and also posted four straight sub-par scores in a tournament for the first time since the aforementioned Barclays.

With his performance, Woods is projected to move up to No. 43 in the FedExCup standings.

Woods entered Sunday one stroke behind Canadian Corey Conners for the lead after shooting a third-round 67.

Next up for Woods will be the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next week. He is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill.

--Field Level Media