The 34-year-old American, who was reportedly paid a $3 million appearance fee, produced some fireworks down the stretch, highlighted by an eagle two on the par-four 15th, a birdie on the par-five 17th and an eagle three on the par-five 18th to finish on seven-under 277.
After entering the final round 10 shots behind leader Adam Bland he walked off just three shots behind the Australian and with a sniff of victory should Bland or then second-placed Daniel Gaunt succumb to the pressure.
As it turned out, Australian Stuart Appleby trumped Woods by also shooting a six-under 65 to overtake the faltering Bland and Gaunt in the closing holes to win by a single shot.
Woods, who finished fourth, last won a title when he claimed the gold jacket at nearby Kingston Heath on Melbourne’s sandbelt a year ago, shortly before stories about his personal life developed into a storm that wrecked his marriage, tarnished his clean-cut image and caused him to take a break from golf.
He has also modified his swing in an effort to improve his game and take pressure off his surgically repaired left knee and on Sunday after his explosive finish he said he felt he was slowly beginning to see signs of improvement.
“I can do this in streaks, unfortunately I haven’t done it for an entire round yet,” he told reporters. “That’s one of the things when you’re making changes in the game, it takes time.
“I’m pleased with some of the progress I’ve made because the streaks are now lasting longer but I still need to do it for an entire round. I still need to do it for 72 holes.
“I finally got it going at the end but it was too little too late.”
