A last hole birdie was a minor consolation for Nathan at the Sony Open but it was a disappointing finish to a day which started with greater promise. His final round of 72 saw him slip to 12th.

Given how uncertain he was of his game when leaving for Hawaii last Sunday however it is a week that was perhaps better then he imagined it might have been but one that could well have been a lot better. 

Having started the final round in a share of second place and just one shot behind the third round leader Zach Johnson, Nathan struggled early missing six of his first seven greens, dropping shots on three of them. He finally hit a quality shot at the par four 8th when a 9 iron finished two feet from the hole. That had him back at 7 under but he was unable to birdie the reachbale par five 9th after finding the fairway trap from the tee.  

The momentum he needed to build his round was just not there and when he again missed the green at the par three 11th he had slipped to three over for the day and 6 under for the tournament.

He created a good opportunity at the par three 17th when his tee shot finished 7 feet from the hole but was unable to convert although he managed a birdie at the last after a horror tee shot that moved him into an 11 way share of 12th.

Nathan will now head for la Quinta for this week's Bob Hope Classic.

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