AKRON, Ohio -- Tiger Woods concluded his worst event as a professional golfer on Sunday morning by shooting a 77 at the Bridgestone Invitational, capping a stunning week that saw him shoot 18-over par for four rounds and finish in a tie for 78th in an 80-player field.

It was not the tournament anyone expected from the No. 1 player in the world at a place where he typically dominates, having won seven times and never finished worse than a tie for fifth in 11 previous appearances at Firestone Country Club.

"Shooting 18-over par is not fun,'' Woods said afterward. "I don't see how it can be fun shooting 18 over, especially since my handicap is supposed to be zero. ... It's tough. Yeah, it's tough.''

Hunter Mahan won the event, running off five birdies on the front nine to make up a four-shot deficit, delivering three clutch pars down the stretch to protect his lead and closing with a 6-under 64 for a two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.

Mahan earned $1.4 million to lock up a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, one of his primary goals this year.

Woods, whose personal life has been in disarray since his Thanksgiving accident, said his performance "doesn't surprise me at all, actually.'' Later, he would only say, "It's been a long year.''

Woods shot all four rounds over par at a tournament for the first time since the 2003 PGA Championship and shot three of his worst scores in 48 rounds at Firestone this week.

The tie for 78th is his worst finish in a tournament in which he completed 72 holes (he's missed six cuts in his career) since a tie for 60th at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, which was his first tournament as a pro. He also tied for 67th at the 1997 Memorial, which was shortened to 54 holes.

It is only the fourth time in his career that he failed to shoot par or better in any round, the other three being major championships.