Casey grabs glory but Tiger lays down Masters marker

Tiger Woods came up just one shot short in the end and so had to settle for second place in the Valspar Championship over the fiendishly difficult Copperhead course in Port Harbour, Tampa, Florida, last night.

He finished on nine under par, a stroke behind Paul Casey, who closed with a brilliant 65, and played so well as to convince even the most sceptical that he has fully recovered from a serious back injury and is a major figure in the game once again.

In this form, Tiger, who drew a record crowd to the Copperhead and received a massive reception from the fans, is sure to be a serious contender for a fifth green jacket at the Masters at Augusta in three weeks time.