St. Louis, Missouri …..
Tiger Woods has clearly forced the hand of USA Ryder Cup captain, Jim Furyk folllowing his second place finish in the PGA Championship.
Woods produced a thrilling final round 64, and easily the lowest over the last day, to finish second to fellow American Brooks Koepka.
Koepka captured a third Major Championship in some 14-months thanks to a closing round 66 for a two-shot victory at 16-under par and become also the just fifth player, and with Woods among the five, to win both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in the same year.
Woods effort was his best finish in a Major Championship since finishing second in the 2009 PGA Championship.
Tiger Woods roaring his way to second place in the 2018 PGA Championship.
And the 14-time Major winner, who had shared the lead when he birdied the 12th and 13th holes, could not have been happier.
“I have not been this happy after a Major for awhile”, he said.
“I was pretty ticked at the British Open. I had the lead there. This one I never quite got to the lead. I was always trailing. It was a golf course in which I couldn’t sit still and make pars and be okay with it. I had to keep making birdies.
“The golf course was soft, it was gettable, and there were a bunch of guys, when I went to the range to start warming up, there were a bunch of guys at 3-under par through 6, 3-under par through 7.
“So, yeah, that was, you could see guys shooting 5-, 6-under par today and with a bunch of guys around 8-under or better
starting the day, I had to go get it and I tried.”
Woods’ effort was also his first top-3 finish in a Major since his shared third place in the 2012 Open Championship.
But in the more immediate picture Woods performance in both The Open and now the PGA Championship must ensure he is afforded a ‘wildcard’ pick for the USA Ryder Cup team.
“Captain Jim Furyk has a choice to make and that is to pick four players,” said Woods.
“And I’m just very pleased at what I’ve done so far and now to be part of the Ryder Cup conversation, going from where I’ve come from to now in the last year, it’s been pretty cool.”
