Tiger Woods looks forward to one more chance at East Lake

Tiger Woods remains winless this season, but the fact that he has one last chance at the TOUR Championship in two weeks is a massive accomplishment in itself given his uncertainty at the start of the year.

Woods secured his spot in the 30-man field at East Lake with a 5-under 65 in Monday’s final round of the BMW Championship. That moved him to 20th in the FedExCup Playoffs standings after entering the tournament ranked 25th.

Six days ago, Woods was named as a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Now he has the opportunity to win a third FedExCup title in two weeks. It will be Tiger’s first appearance at East Lake since 2013.

“At the end of the season here to say that I made it back to the TOUR Championship after what I've been through is a pretty good accomplishment,” Woods said after his round Monday left him at 17 under and tied for sixth. “… To make the Ryder Cup team and get back to East Lake, that was a pretty big goal at the beginning of the year, and to be able to accomplish that is something I’m very proud of.”

A year ago, Woods had just received the clearance to start chipping after undergoing his fourth back surgery. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he returned to action on the PGA TOUR in late January.

But in 17 starts this season, he has two runner-up finishes, and his T6 at Aronimink was his sixth top-10 of the year. Even more impressive, he seems to be hitting his stride. Since his opening-round 78 at the U.S. Open, he’s played 29 rounds, with 16 of those in the 60s, and just four over par. His highest score in that stretch is 73; his lowest came in Thursday’s first round of the BMW when he shot an 8-under 62.

How did he do it?

“Lots of hard work,” Woods said. “Lots of hard work and patience. Just constant feel and understanding of what it is because the game has changed, the body has changed and the body has changed dramatically since I first started. Trying to get used to the equipment and changing equipment because my swing is changing because my body is changing.

“It's been quite a year.”

And it’s not over. Woods would dearly love to cap off his comeback with a victory at the TOUR Championship. His last win at East Lake was in 2007 when he won the inaugural FedExCup title.

Mathematically, Woods will have a chance to win the title, although the scenarios will require the top players to fall back. Still, he’s just glad to have the chance.

Had he putted a little better Monday, he might have sneaked into the playoff with Justin Rose and eventual champion Keegan Bradley. After failing to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the 14th, Woods could not convert birdie chances at the 15th (from 9 feet) and 17th (from inside 13 feet).

“To have a chance to win again, this year, it's a very positive feeling,” Woods said. “[If I] made a few more putts this week, could have been a different deal coming down the stretch but even though, you know, I finished at 17 and I had three good looks on the last three holes -- or two of the last three holes. That's a positive.”