Tiger Woods' first appearance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs since 2013 resulted in a mundane 40th-place finish at The Northern Trust.
But despite struggling on the greens for most of the week - the main culprit for only recording just nine birdies - Woods believes he found something in his game he can take to the next leg of the postseason.
"I played a lot better than my score indicates," Tiger said in his post-round interview, via Golf Channel. "I didn't make any birdies this week, I didn't putt well, and at the end of the day I found a piece of my game that has been missing, which is driving it well."
Tiger gained 1.8 strokes off the tee at The Northern Trust, which ranked 17th in the field. In comparison, he ranked 134th entering the playoffs in the same category.
Earlier in the week, the two-time FedEx Cup champion was spotted tinkering with driver shafts in his first week back since his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship.
Would appear Tiger has a new driver shaft. Based on the graphics it looks to be Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White Board. pic.twitter.com/oKBMaRJPHB
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) August 21, 2018
"It's been good, I've changed the loft on it and gone back to a shaft that I know, and I've won numerous tournaments with," Woods said on Saturday regarding his new driver setup.
With newfound confidence in his driver and another week of elite iron play under his belt, Tiger's tee-to-green game is trending towards a winning week.
His next chance of returning to the winner's circle will begin Friday, Aug. 31 for the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston, an event Woods won back in 2006.
