Tiger Woods had a chance to win his first PGA Tour event since 2013 Sunday at the Valspar Championship, but finished one shot behind Paul Casey.

Woods birdied the par-3 17th hole to move within one of Casey, who was already in the clubhouse at 10 under. Woods had a lengthy birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff, but settled for a t2 with Patrick Reed at 9 under.

What a ride.

Tiger Woods finishes 1 short of forcing a playoff.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/70hs4VSaBE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2018

"I think that I've gotten a little bit better than I was a couple weeks ago at Honda, keep getting a little bit better and sharper and today wasn't quite as sharp as I would like to have had it but I had a good shot as winning this golf tournament," Woods said after his final round. "Couple putts here and there would have been a different story.

"I was close. I had a chance today. Unfortunately I just didn't quite feel as sharp as I needed to with my irons, played a little conservative because of it. I just needed to handle the par-5s a little better."
Here are three takeaways from Woods' runner-up finish:

1. Woods is back — This is a sentence some never thought could be uttered or written ever again. But Woods, through four PGA Tour events this year, looks healthy, confident and poised to regain the form that once made him the most feared player in the world. While Woods was unable to pick up his 80th PGA Tour win this week, it spoke volumes to his ability that he could finish t2 less than a year removed from fusion back surgery.

Health will always be the issue in Woods' return. He still looks a bit robotic as times, but his swing looks smoother than any other comeback attempt, and he finally looks comfortable trying to hit smart shots instead of just trying to hit it as far as the Tour's longest drivers. This time, after four back surgeries since 2014, he looks poised to stick around for the long haul.

2. Now it's time for the young generation to return to form — Golf was headed into a pretty great place even before Woods' return. Guys like Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler and countless other young stars were dominating the Tour and rapidly picking up fans. The game was growing and Woods was nowhere to be seen.

Now, with Woods back, Spieth and Rory McIlroy have struggled, Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka are injured and it looks as though Woods is again carrying the Tour. It's time for the young generation and Woods to both hit top form together and really make this a year to remember for golf.

3. Augusta National better still have Woods' jacket size — In all seriousness, Woods and fellow veteran Phil Mickelson have returned to form the last two weeks. Mickelson earned his first win since 2013 last week at the WGC Mexico Championship and Woods almost won his first tournament since 2013 this week.

Woods, a four-time Masters champ, has not won at Augusta since 2009 and has not played there since 2015. Despite the long layoff, Woods is familiar with the course and playing well. It wouldn't be surprising to see him contend and possibly win