One of the most confounding and uneven seasons in Tiger Woods’ illustrious career closed with a resounding thud on Sunday in the finale of the 2013 FedEx Cup playoffs at East Lake Golf Club.

Tiger’s 22nd-place finish among 30 players in the season-ending Tour Championship dropped him from first place in the FedEx standings to second behind Henrik Stenson. More importantly, it ended any hope the world No. 1 had of finishing a drama-filled roller coaster season on a high note.



Instead, Tiger is left with an empty ending to his 2013 campaign that, despite five PGA Tour victories and a return to the top of the world rankings, can only be viewed as a disappointment when measured against the very standards the world’s best player sets for himself.
For the fifth straight year, Woods failed to win a major championship, extending his drought to 18 consecutive starts. He also dealt with multiple injuries and was mired in a pair of rules controversies that, to some, cast a shadow on his on-course credibility.
The bitter icing on that rather distasteful cake was his struggles in the playoffs, which he began more than a month ago with a sizable lead and seemed destined to win. That opportunity finally disappeared amid poor putting, wayward driving and all-around listless play at East Lake.

Does the lack of a major championship make Tiger Woods' 2013 season a disappointment?

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A third FedEx Cup title wasn't going to erase the disappointment of failing to win a major for the first time since the 2008 U.S. Open. Yet it would have provided a measure of redemption for Woods, who must feel like this year has been a frustrating tale of two players from start to finish.
By normal measure, a five-win PGA Tour season is a career year worthy of wide acclaim. By Tiger standards, however, the lack of a major championship and all the other static that disrupted his year time and again are hard to overlook in accessing a final grade.
Publicly, Woods says his season was a good one, and if not for his long-stated emphasis on chasing down Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships, he’d have a solid argument to rest on.
It’s not just the number of wins Tiger has in 2013, but the quality of the tournaments he captured in the process.
In addition to winning the Players Championship for the just the second time in his career, Woods claimed a pair of World Golf Championship events, including the Bridgestone Invitational back in August, in which he fired a second-round 61.

Tiger also captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational for an amazing eighth time and won at Torrey Pines, which really should be renamed in his honor considering how many titles he’s claimed there.
Couple those accomplishments with that fact that he earned well over $8 million in prize money, and you've got a great season by just about every measure—save one.
There is the one standard of excellence that Woods holds himself to that simply makes the argument that his 2013 season has fallen short of the mark. Tiger is about wining major championships, and at the age of 37, and due to the fact he’s been stuck on 14 titles since 2008, the pressure to do so has never been more intense.
It’s hard, then, to argue that Woods' five triumphs aren't trumped by his glaring goose egg in golf’s biggest events. And it’s not just the 0-for-4 in those tournaments that tell the terrible Tiger tale, but the absolute struggles he had in the majority of them.
Woods’ 13-over showing in the U.S. Open was his professional career worst in a major, and his 40th-place finish at the PGA Championship was his highest ever in that championship when making the cut.
Even Tiger’s best performance was accomplished under a dark cloud. His tie for fourth at the Masters was significantly overshadowed by his near-disqualification for a bad drop that ultimately led to two strokes being added to his second-round score.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

So if there was a measure of redemption to Tiger’s 2013 season and some momentum to be forged for 2014, it was supposed to come through a third FedEx Cup championship that would have been completed this weekend in Atlanta.
Instead, the world's top golfer struggled almost from the start of the playoffs and did so mightily at the finish. As a result, Tiger is left with one of the more perplexing seasons of his professional career.
His five victories and ascendancy to the world’s top ranking are significant accomplishments to be sure. That said, at this stage of his career, it’s about major titles. By that standard, 2013 simply doesn't measure up.
It might not be fair, but no one ever said it was easy being Tiger Woods.

B/R

  
Adam Scott won the first major of the 2013 season at the Masters in April. On Wednesday, that victory came full circle at the 2013 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
In a tournament designed to specifically showcase the four major championship winners of the current season, Scott turned in a major-like performance to slam the door his 2013 campaign on a high note with an impressive victory, finishing Round 2 with a seven-under 64 and an eight-under total score.

Benjamin Everill of the Associate Press had this tweet to congratulate Scott on his victory:



Golf in Morocco chimed in with this post on Twitter:



Here is a closer look at the newest addition to Scott's trophy case, per the tournament's official Twitter account:



It also posted a tweet with Scott holding the trophy on a green:



Scott rallied in Round 2 to overtake 2013 U.S. Open victor Justin Rose and win the trophy at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda. Rose led after Day 1 and for most of the round on Day 2, but Scott's eagle on the par-five 17th gave the Aussie enough juice to outlast the Englishman by two strokes.

Final Grand Slam of Golf Leaderboard

Place	Golfer	R1	R2	To Par
1	Adam Scott	70	64	-8
2	Justin Rose	67	69	-6
3	Jason Dufner	69	70	-3
4	Padraig Harrington	74	71	+3

PGA.com

*Leaderboard via PGA.com.

Reigning PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner finished third at three under, and Padraig Harrington—who did not win a major in 2013 but was a replacement for Phil Mickelson—could not repeat his championship performance from 2012, finishing a distant fourth at three over.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Jason Sobel of the Golf Channel showed sympathy for Harrington with this tweet during Round 2:



But this tournament was about having fun, spending time on a magnificent course in Bermuda and getting a chance to reflect on the events of the past year or so, while also keeping one's golf game sharp for the upcoming season.

Just check out the 2013-14 PGA Tour season schedule for confirmation that even the best of the best need a break every once in a while.
Scott was hearing none of that on Wednesday, and at one point, neither was Rose. As two of the best international golfers in the world right now, Scott and Rose are no strangers to final-round fireworks with a trophy on the line.
Taylor Made's European Twitter account has this tweet to chronicle what was a strong start to Day 2 for Rose:



The Englishman birdied four straight holes on the front nine, but finally slipped up on No. 9 with a bogey to fall to seven under. At the same time Scott started surging, and so did the man responsible for the popular "Dufnering" craze.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Down two strokes from his Day 1 score after 10 holes, Dufner decided to turn it on. He birdied three of the next five holes to stay in the mix, but a bogey on No. 16 virtually ended his chances to compete despite a last-ditch birdie on No. 17.

It was Scott who played error-free golf and made the most of his chances down the stretch at Port Royal. Three birdies in his first nine holes set the tone, but the real heroics came when the tournament was on the line.
Starting with a birdie on No. 13, Scott started to make his run. He added another on No. 15 and then hit the shot of the day on No. 17 from the fairway to set himself up for a short putt for eagle. It was the final nail in the coffin.
PGA.com's Twitter account had this post to recap Scott's heroics on No. 17:



The victory is the cherry on top of a season in which Scott has quickly become one of the most feared golfers on the planet. Currently No. 2 in the World Golf Rankings, the Aussie finished inside the top five in three of four majors in 2013 and also won The Barclays tournament during the FedEx Cup playoffs.
There's no guarantee Scott qualifies for a return trip to the Grand Slam of Golf in 2014, but the way he's playing right now, it wouldn't be a surprise if all four spots have his name on them this time next year.

BleacherReprot | Golf

- Watch More Funny Videos3 Year Old Golfing Like A Pro

If this three-year-old doesn't make you question your golf game, then you're much better than most. Not only does he make these chip shots look easy, but it sounds like he's having a ton of fun doing it. 

BleacherReport

There's really not much to say other than this photo taken by PGA Tour/Getty Images photographer Chris Condon is fantastic. Condon caught Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jason Dufner in a candid moment backstage during the opening ceremony of the Presidents Cup. Very cool. 

Stepping in from rain that ruined his rhythm and the back end of his round, Henrik Stenson was more interested in looking forward at the Tour Championship.

He still had a four-shot lead.

He was one round from capturing two trophies worth $11.44 million, including the FedEx Cup.

PHOTO GALLERY: See the best pics of Henrik Stenson, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson from East Lake on Saturday.

The Swede just made the final day of the PGA Tour season a little more interesting over the last two hours of a dreary Saturday morning at East Lake. He had a nine-shot lead at the turn and walked off the 18th green with a three-putt bogey and his lead back to where it was at the start of the day.

"Of course, I want to win two," Stenson said after a 1-under 69. "If I can't win two, I'll be very pleased to win one. If I'm winning nothing, it will probably be not so sweet from this position. But I didn't have anything when I came here, so we'll see what we'll leave with."

Stenson appeared to have both wrapped up when he got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 ninth for a tap-in birdie to reach 14 under, nine shots clear of Dustin Johnson. Everything changed as the rain began to fall.

Stenson made four bogeys on the back nine, it might have been worse if not for a pair of 12-foot putts he made on the 14th hole for bogey and the 17th hole for par. Johnson was five shots better on the back for a 67, matching the low round of a tough day for scoring and got into the last group.

"I think I'll choose to look at it from the bright side, even though the weather is not that bright at the moment," said Stenson, who was at 11-under 199. "Started the day with a four-shot lead and I still got it. So that's all that matters really."

Johnson and Steve Stricker, who had a 68 and was at 5-under 205, were the only players within six shots of him.

Johnson was the last man into the 30-man field at East Lake, and he left Chicago on Monday not sure whether he would get in. Now he at least has a shot to start and end the season with a victory. Johnson's other win this year was at Kapalua in the Tournament of Champions.

"If I keep driving it straight, then I'm going to give him a run tomorrow."

Stenson, the No. 2 seed in the FedEx Cup, is still in great shape to go home with a lot of money — $10 million for winning the FedEx Cup, $1.44 million for winning the Tour Championship. Even if he were to finish third, he still would be in good shape to win golf's biggest payoff.

Tiger Woods, the No. 1 seed, didn't make a birdie until he chipped in on the 14th hole. He rallied for a 69, the first time he has broken par all week. Woods was at 3-over 213, 14 shots behind in a tie for 26th.

Among the other FedEx Cup possibilities Sunday:

--Stricker, who had a 68, could win the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. He could win with a runner-up finish, provided Stenson finished lower than ninth and Zach Johnson — in the group at 4-under 206 — was worse than seventh.

--Zach Johnson, the No. 4 seed, still had a shot at the $10 million even without winning. He was seven shots behind, but one scenario is for him to finish runner-up and Stenson to finish third.

--Yes, even Dustin Johnson is mathematically still alive as the No. 30 seed. He would need to win (possible), have Woods finish last (possible) and make sure Stenson finishes in the 15th place (total long shot). Johnson wasn't interested in all that math and it wasn't his field of study at Coastal Carolina, anyway.

"They didn't require math," he said.

All he cares about are the scores, and he's still in with a chance after making up five shots on the back nine. That was mostly Stenson's doing. The Swede got loose with a few shots, and the rain didn't help.

"I can't really complain that it was any tougher for me than for anybody else," Stenson said. "When you lose a little bit of momentum ... it's just hard to find your rhythm again when you're kind of jumping in and out from underneath an umbrella and trying to whack it to get back in underneath again. So it's a little more difficult, but we still kept it together. Like I said, we've still got a four-shot lead."

If anything, he felt bad for Adam Scott, whom he led by four shots at the start of the day.

Scott felt so miserable overnight and Saturday morning that he had IV fluids administered at East Lake and showed up on the range only about 25 minutes before his tee time. He was sick and it showed with a 40 on the front nine. Scott wound up with a 74 to fall nine shots behind and was thankful to doctors for getting him ready to play.

"Pretty disappointed, because I felt like I could have made a run today," Scott said. "When you're body is feeling so lethargic and heavy, the club feels like it weighs 60 pounds. And it was just hard work to get anything moving."

That might have ended his bid for PGA Tour player of the year. A win would have given the Masters champion three wins (including a major) and the FedEx Cup, which might have been enough to trump Woods and his five wins (no majors).

DIVOTS: Stenson was able to find another 4-wood overnight and played with 14 clubs. "I didn't use it once," he said. ... Jordan Spieth, playing in the final group with Stenson and Scott, shot a 71 and was in the group seven shots behind with Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. ... Phil Mickelson shot 70 and was nine shots out of the lead.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/ap-news/stenson-takes-4-shot-lead-sunday-east-lake#ixzz2faLzNARr

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