One big miss messes up Tiger's Florida fairytale

Inspired charge in final round falls just short

ORLANDO, Florida - Tiger Woods put on a Sunday charge at Bay Hill that looked all too familiar until one swing changed everything at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Coming off three birdies and two par saves that brought him to within one shot of the lead, Woods hammered a tee shot so far left on the par-5 16th hole that it went over a fence and into a backyard, more than 50 yards out of bounds.

A birdie or better turned into a bogey, but ultimately it didn't matter as Rory McIlroy closed with five birdies on his last six holes to win.

Woods made bogey from the bunker on the next hole and had to drain a 12-foot par putt on the final hole for a 3-under 69 to finish eight shots off the pace.

That margin didn't reflect the anticipation that Woods might win in his remarkable return from a fourth back surgery.

It was the second straight Sunday that Tiger got within one shot of the lead on the back nine. His next stop is the Masters, which Woods has missed three times in the past four years.

He was bothered more by the mental mistake than the swing on the 16th hole.

"I was caught. I didn't decide what I was going to do," Woods said. "That's on me for not committing."

The 16th hole was playing shorter than usual at 496 yards with firm fairways. Woods didn't hit the fairway the previous three rounds and still made birdie.

He said his options were a driver that he could shape between the left rough and the bunkers on the right, or pound a driver over the bunkers, or simply hit a 3-wood down the fairway and have no more than an 8-iron into the green.

He opted for the driver, and then couldn't decide whether to shape the shot or just rear back and blast it.

He blasted it, all right.