Tiger Woods reviews his missteps at the 11th and 12th holes that caused him to fall short of capturing his 15th major championship. (1:30)
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Tiger Woods was the old Sunday destroyer in red, holding sole possession of the lead in a major while The Open field was going, going, gone with the wind. The contenders who were in other pairings and who saw Woods in name only, charging up the leaderboard, went tumbling down that same leaderboard as if it were a staircase. As if they were the usual suspects from Tiger's prime.
Jordan Spieth, defending champ, might as well have been Phil or Ernie in the middle of the Woods dynasty. He started the day in the lead at 9 under, 4 strokes clear of Tiger. When he saw that iconic name in the lead, he turned to his caddie, Michael Greller, and said, "Dammit. ... Dude." Like a boxer's cut man, Greller had to shove his wobbly man back into the ring with something. The caddie came up with this: "He hasn't been in this position in 10 years, and you've been here how many times in the last three years?"
Editor's Picks Inside a wild Sunday at The Open From the return of Tiger roars on Sunday at a major to a Jordan Spieth detour around a forgotten part of the course, The Open's final round had everything, including a nerveless champion.
The Open 2018: Tournament news, schedule, coverage and analysis All you need to know about the 2018 edition of The Open, including day-by-day results and analysis from Carnoustie. 1 Related
The pep talk exactly didn't have a Knute Rockne-like effect on Spieth. He was busy shooting a 5-over 76 while the world stopped to watch and listen as a 42-year-old Tiger roared like a lion along the rugged North Sea coast. At 4:18 p.m. local time, as he played the ninth hole, Woods moved into a share of The Open lead. At 4:34 p.m., around the time he was hitting a majestic approach out of a bunker on the 10th, Woods took exclusive hold of the lead.
As he headed for the 11th tee, a fan shouted, "Tiger, we believe. It's coming home."
Everyone at Carnoustie wanted to believe in the magic of the moment. This was a tournament for the aged, and a story for the ages. Woods had been in so much physical pain from back injuries and multiple surgeries, he thought he would never again play competitive golf. He wondered if he would ever again enjoy a father's spoils of rolling about with his kids, Sam and Charlie. He was a completely broken athlete, and his Memorial Day arrest in 2017 and roadside police video from hell suggested he remained a broken man, too.
"Yeah. I mean, not the Tiger that, you know, Phil and Ernie and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version. But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot." Rory McIlroy, on Tiger Woods
And yet here he was a little more than a year later, remarkably about to seize the Claret Jug for a fourth time. He had eight holes to cover and some inner demons and doubts to silence and defeat. Demons and doubts? Oh yeah, even a reborn Tiger, arguably the greatest of all time, wasn't sure if he was ready to win his 15th major championship only three majors into what is likely the final comeback of his career.
"Even though he's won 14," Rory McIlroy said, "you have to learn how to get back."
People around team sports talk often about a necessary progression to a championship, including postseason losses that can cut a man in half. Woods was about to take what should be the last step in that process that would hurt him as much as his devastating PGA Championship loss to Y.E. Yang in 2009, right before the public disclosures of his serial infidelity changed his life for keeps. Out of the rough on the 11th, Woods dropped his club after a swing that sent his ball wide left and into the crowd. It bounced off the right shoulder of a 50-year-old Englishman named Wayne Partridge, then smashed into the phone belonging to Colin Hauck, a 34-year-old fan from Annapolis, Maryland.
Woods gave Hauck a signed glove and a handshake (nobody informed him that Partridge was also hit), and then chopped a poor wedge out of the tall grass that led to a fatal double-bogey, followed by a bogey at the 12th. Tiger fought back gamely, birdieing the par-5 14th with an 18-footer after chipping from the adjacent fourth green, but his playing partner, Francesco Molinari, answered with a birdie of his own to grab control of the tournament at 7 under.
Tiger Woods had a chance to win The Open on Sunday. That he had a chance is significant. AP Photo/Martin Cleaver
In fact, despite all the fan and media hustle and bustle around Woods, Molinari was a bogey-free rock who never once blinked or backed down. He was as worthy a champion as Carnoustie has ever seen, Ben Hogan included, even though the central discussion afterward revolved around Woods and what this near-miss means in the short and long terms.
Woods is going to win at least one more major, a point that was made in this space after he missed the U.S. Open cut at Shinnecock Hills. It might not happen at next month's PGA Championship, and it might not happen next year at two of his cherished arenas, the Masters at Augusta National, and the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. But it's going to happen at some point -- and sooner rather than later.
In fact, for a time on Sunday, McIlroy thought Woods was going to win.
"My mindset was go and spoil the party here," the Northern Irishman said.
McIlroy outplayed Woods' even-par round of 71 by one stroke, and then dumped a bucket of ice water on the notion that Tiger is about to retake the PGA Tour by the throat. Asked if he felt today's young stars would have to fight off Woods for a few years to come, McIlroy said, "Yeah. I mean, not the Tiger that, you know, Phil and Ernie and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version. But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot."
I wouldn't say we're worried about him.
Someone might want to tape that quote to Tiger's fridge.
"With the Tiger we have to face," McIlroy said later, "he does things that maybe he didn't do 10, 15 years ago."
Things like what Woods did Sunday, when he gave away a major that was very much in his hands.
On the 18th tee, after nearly sinking his chip shot on the penultimate hole, Woods was distracted in his backswing by a screaming fan apparently holding a considerable cup of beer.
"No, what are you doing?" a wincing Tiger said toward the crowd after he finished his one-armed follow-through.
Woods hit a perfectly fine drive, anyway, and then a perfectly fine approach to 6 feet. He removed his cap and waved it to the roaring masses as he took the bridge across the burn, and then again after he missed for birdie and settled for a 5-under score, 3 strokes south of Molinari's.
Woods congratulated the winner, and then found his son, Charlie, and his daughter, Sam.
"Hopefully, you're proud of your pops for trying as hard as I did," Tiger told them.
They hugged their old man, squeezed him as if they didn't want to let go.
"To me," Woods said, "it's just so special to have them aware, because I've won a lot of golf tournaments in my career, but they don't remember any of them. So for them to understand what I was doing early in my career -- the only thing they've seen is my struggles and the pain I was going through. Now they just want to go play soccer with me. So that's, man, it's such a great feeling."
It beats winning, for sure -- any father knows that. Woods said that he was "a little ticked off at myself" and that he felt he did "everything the way I thought I needed to do it to win the championship."
Except actually win it, of course.
That's OK. Woods will never again be the Tiger of the early to mid-2000s, back when golf fans were sure he would blow past Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors and win himself 20 to 25. But Woods has already shown that he can regularly compete in tour events, including majors. He's already shown that the Spieths, McIlroys, Dustin Johnsons, Justin Thomases and Patrick Reeds will have to worry about him on a consistent basis, whether or not they care to admit it for public consumption.
"It's still great for golf," McIlroy said of this Tiger resurgence.
It's even greater for Woods. He should now be finished re-educating himself on how to win, and he should be ready to resume his pursuit of the Nicklaus grail. But Sunday was as much about the agony of defeat as it was the ground gained in recovery. When it was over, Woods said he planned to talk to his good friend Serena Williams about winning and losing and life. With his children in tow, and Charlie wearing a red "Love the Haters" T-shirt, Woods crossed a bridge from the news conference area to the clubhouse and disappeared just like that.
The good news? Count on Tiger Woods reappearing very soon as an aging, balding badass in red.
Three rounds are complete, and three players are tied on top of the leaderboard at the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner all made it to nine under on Saturday, and are in prime position for Sunday's windy final round. But plenty of accomplished pros like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose are lurking close behind.
Can Spieth come out on top and secure his second consecutive British Open title and fourth career major? Or will Tiger Woods make a comeback for the ages and capture his first major in 10 years?
We are live blogging Sunday's entire final round at Carnoustie. Follow along below to see who lifts the claret jug.
FULL FINAL ROUND LEADERBOARD | WHO WILL WIN THE OPEN?
13:53. Here comes the last gasp. 135 yards left for Schauffele. Wow, it was right on line, but checked up short of the hole. Francesco Molinari is the Champion Golfer of the Year!
13:48. Well this thing isn't over til it's over. Molinari is on the putting green. Schauffele is in the fairway. There's a chance — albeit a very, very small one — that we'll have a playoff. Schauffele needs to hole out.
13:44. This is a must-make if Schauffele wants to have a chnace to catching Molinari with a birdie on 18. He leave it short. Now, he'll need an eagle on 18 to tie Molinari.
13:41. Very tough — and important — up and down now for Schauffele. He's really taking his time. Understandably. He hits a great shot to about 20 feet, but now has to convert the putt.
13:35. All eyes now on young Xander Schauffele. He has 238 yards to the pin on 17. And...he's into the gallery on the right, behind the gorse bushes. Commentators are saying he'll be okay.
13:32. Molinari drains his birdie, and he's at -8! New outright and clubhouse leader. Would be the first Italian EVER to etch his name on the claret jug.
13:31. A birdie finish would be nice for Tiger. But oh, what could have been. had it not been for that double bogey-bogey stint on 11 and 12. He misses the birdie to finish at even par on the day, -5 for the tournament.
13:28. Molinari hits a magnificent shot to six feet for birdie. This could be the tournament, folks.
13:27. Schauffele misses his birdie attempt on 16 on the low side. Man, what a missed opportinity! Meanwhile, Tiger stuffs it on 18, giving himself a great chance for birdie and to finish at -6.
13:23. Someone yells in Tiger's backswing, and he loses the drive to the right. Doesn't kill him, but the gallery boos the offender.
13:21. Molinari is going with driver on 18. The ball squeezes past the bunker on the right and ends up in the short rough. Time is running out for the chasers!
13:19. WOW. Schauffele just hit a magnificent shot on 16 to about five feet. He'll have that putt for the outright lead.
13:16. Schauffele makes a great par save on 15 to stay at -7.
13:15. Jordan Spieth misses a par save on the high side on 15 to drop a shot. He's now two shots back with three holes to play.
13:14. A nice par save for Kisner on 16 keeps him within one shot of the lead.
13:12. Molinari is facing a 226-yard approach straight into a 26 mph wind on No. 17. He uses a 2 iron and expertly feeds the ball onto the green, leaving himself a 15-foot putt for birdie.
13:09. Rory misses his birdie attempt on 18, so he joins Justin Rose as co-clubhouse leader at -6.
13:07. Our leaders have four holes to play. Tiger and Molinari are on 17. Molinari and Schauffele are the current co-leaders at -7. Five players trail them at -5.
13:03. Jordan misses the short birdie that would have tied him for the lead at -7. He remains -6. A brutal three-putt par.
13:00. Rory knocks his approach to about 15 feet from the hole. He'll have that putt to become the new clubhouse leader at -7.
12:59. Now Schauffele has a chance for eagle and the outright lead...and it burns the edge! But he's now tied at the top with Molinari.
12:58. Jordan Spieth has a lengthy eagle putt on 14. He's taking his time with it. Still ends up about five feet short.
12:54. Rory goes with 3-wood on 18 and pummels it down the left side of the fairway. The ball rolls seemingly forever. Should set up a great approach opportunity.
12:52. Both Tiger and Molinari makes shorties for par on 15.
12:51. Rory drains a huge save for par on 17, so he'll head to 18 with a chance to best Justin Rose's clubhouse lead.
12:50. Kisner birdies 14 to join the crowd at -6.
12:48. Five players are still on the course at -6. Molinari has 174 yards left to the green on 15, PW in hand. He lands safely on, and will have a lengthy putt left for birdie.
12:45. It's official: Justin Rose is the new clubhouse leader at -6.
12:41. Tiger Woods drains a 15-footer for birdie on 14! He's back to -5. Molinari, meanwhile, also birdies — his first of the day— making him the outright leader at -7.
12.40. Justin Rose, who drained a 12-foot putt to make the cut on the number on Friday, now has a short putt on 18 to become the new clubhouse leader at -6.
12:37. Rory gets up and down for par on the par-3 16th to stay -6.
12:36. Tiger is so far from the pin on 14, he's hitting a wedge from the front of the green. It doesn't work out very well, and he will still have a lengthy putt left.
12:30. On 16, Rory hits a 6-iron, which misses the green to the left, just past pin high.
12:29. Tiger goes with driver on 14 and hits it into the gallery on the left.
12:26. Kisner drains his bogey save on 12, so he drops to -5, one shot back.
12:24. Tiger and Molinari both par the par-3 13th — Tiger with a shortie and Molinari with a lengthy putt to maintain a flawless scorecard.
12:19. Kisner is in bunker trouble again on 12. He has a little tester left to save bogey.
12:13. OMG RORY MCILROY JUST DROPPED A BOMB FOR EAGLE ON NO. 14!! He's now in a SIX-WAY TIE FOR THE LEAD!!!
12:11. Tiger drops abother shot with a bogey on 12, so he's now dropped three shots in two holes and falls to -4, two shots back.
12:10. Schauffele birdied the 10th hole to get into a now five-way tie for the lead at -6.
12:09. Jordan Spieth parred the 10th to stay -6 for the tournament.
12:07 It's getting hard to keep up with all the action around here! Justin Rose is sneaking up on the leaderboard, one shot back at -5 and safely on the green in regulation on the tough 16th hole.
12:05. 257 yards left for TW. He doesn't like it, and the ball ends up back in the fescue on the left. Molinari has 241 left with a better lie, and he hits a beautiful shot just short of the green in the middle of the fairway.
12:03. Tiger's drive on 11 (with an iron) finds the fescue on the left.
11:59. Current leaderboard: Molinari, Chappell, Kisner, Spieth, all tied for the lead at -6. Tiger among eight golfers within one shot of the lead, and 11 within two.
11:58. Tiger's putt from off the green runs way past the hole, leaving him a serious tester for bogey. He misses on the edge, and suffers a double. What a blow.
11:55. Tiger's attempt at a flop shot blows up a bit, and ends up short of the green, rolling back toward him. He will be chipping for par now. Molinari hits a gorgeous lag from the front of the green and will have an easy tap-in for par.
11:52. Tiger rips his 6-iron straight left, and gets a hugely favorable bounce off the gallery. Meanwhile, Kevin Chappell AND Kevin Kisner just drained birdie putts to get to -6, just one back of Tiger's lead.
11:50. Tiger is now calf-high in the fescue on the right side of the fairway, and Molinari is right there with him. Molinari hits first, and it's a pretty good one to the front edge of the green. Tiger has a 6-iron. Wind is steady at 14 mph, gusting to 20-30 mph.
11:48. Just for reference on the madness of this final round so far...Spieth is currently +3 on the day, while Schauffele and Kisner are +4. Unreal developments.
11:46. Spieth, meanwhile, parred No. 8 to stay one back.
11:44. Tiger is 5/9 in fairways today, and he has an iron out on the 11th tee. Wind is gusting, and he's taking his time with this tee shot. The drive finds the fescue on the right, but it doesn't look too penal over there.
11:42. It's a near miss on the high side, but still, a tap in to stay at -7 with a clean scorecard.
11:41. TW is sizing up this birdie putt on No. 10.
11:38. Thanks Dylan! What a day it's been already. Tiger Woods, alone atop the leaderboard at -7, one shot clear of Francesco Molinari and Jordan Spieth.
11:30. With that, I'm tagging in my colleague Jessica Marksbury, who will lead you home. Thanks for following! It's only going to get crazier.
11:28. Tiger makes it. Turns in two-under 34 and is likely about to take the solo lead after edging that putt in with dying speed.
11:25. Okay folks, let's take stock of where things stand. At -7: Tiger (6 feet for par after finding the bunker at 9) and Schauffele (just topped one in the rough at No. 7 and is in serious trouble). -6? That's just Molinari and Spieth. -5: Eddie Pepperell (in the clubhouse and delighted), Kisner (just made a bogey) and Chappell (lurking...).
11:19. Well, it's official: Tiger Woods is tied for the lead on Sunday afternoon of a major championship (morning still, if you're in the States)! Holy smokes. Schauffele is in with bogey and Spieth misses his bogey putt; that's a double for him and he's all of a sudden back to -6.
11:15. Tiger cleans up his par putt after a neat bunker shot at 8; Spieth took his drop and hit his fourth shot to about 25 feet. Xander now with a tricky bunker shot and one foot outside the sand. He hits that to 35 feet and I think we're about to have a three-way tie for the lead (Kisner made another bogey).
11:11. Okay, they found Spieth's ball. But Schauffele dumps his in the bunker at 6 and Spieth is taking an unplayable...
11:08. Tiger with seven iron at the par-3 8th but it looks like he's found the bunker. Up ahead, Rory makes his first birdie of the day to get back to -4, not technically dead yet. Meanwhile there's a search party at Spieth's ball! Uh oh.
11:04. Spieth from the right rough with 3 wood and it's a "Fore Right!" into a gorse bush. Wow. Things are happening!
11:02. Tiger in full stalking mode now, paces around his putt for a while and then steps off it before his final approach. Leaves it just short and low, though, so it'll be a kick-in par.
11:00. Everything seems to be going faster and faster now. Tiger facing a 25-footer for birdie at 7, while Molinari hit a neat little pitch and should be able to make it for par.
10:57. Hey now! Kevin Kisner just holed out from the bunker at 6 and he's now at -7, one shot back. This is nuts.
10:56. Woods in the right edge of the fairway at No. 7. Schauffele still has a little work left for his bogey, meanwhile, but makes that.
10:54. Schauffele, plugged up against the lip of the bunker, barely made it out at all. Spieth's got a lengthy par putt that JUST slips past the edge. Looks like Tiger's about to be one shot back. Honestly, everyone at -6 is right in it now too...
10:50. He made it. Walked it in. Just two shots back and Spieth and Schauffele are each in a spot of bother at 5...are we doing this?
10:47. Tiger has to hit this one way out to the right as it goes up the hill, it breaks hard to the left and just sails past the hole. He'll have 6-8 feet left coming back.
10:46. Spieth's found the bunker at No. 5 and has to punch out sideways. There is currently one man on the course who is under par for the round: Tiger Woods. He's got a 94-footer from the front fringe and he's taking a long look at it.
10:43. Tiger hits a piercing 3-wood at No. 6 and runs it up just short of the green. Could be a putter from the fringe there.
10:40. Par at 4 for Spieth. Behind the leaders, it's a logjam at -6: Molinari, Woods, Chappell and Kisner each hanging out three back. Eddie Pepperell, in the clubhouse, is the only man at -5.
10:37. Low, piercing driver finds the fairway at No. 6 for Tiger, just sneaking past the bunker in the fairway. Perfect position.
10:35. Unfortunate break for Tiger to leave him with 40 feet here, but he nearly makes it. Easy tap-in 4 and still three back.
10:30. Tiger tried to nuke a pitching wedge from 165 and just came up a foot short of the ridge he needed to clear. Challenging two-putt from the front fringe upcoming.
10:28. Good news up ahead? Let's look to Eddie Pepperell, who has a birdie putt at No. 18 to post -6. He just misses that one but he'll post five under after a 67; that's a huge finish for him and may continue to creep up the leaderboard... Bad news would come from Fleetwood and Noren, who each made doubles.
10:27. Tiger stripes an iron down the 5th fairway, which is still playing under par. Should have a good look from there.
10:25. Spieth and Schauffele each safely aboard at No. 3 and Spieth nearly holes his, then Xander nearly does as well. Both still at -9.
10:20. Tiger now, from around 15 feet. And it's in! T3 for Woods at six under and the first birdie we've seen from the final few pairings.
10:15. Kisner completes his reverse charge with a bogey at 3; he's back to six under. Up ahead, Fleetwood just hit it OB at No. 6, which will likely end his chances at the claret jug. Add Rory (back to -3) to that group as well. More destruction? Noren stuck in a bunker, too. Spieth's in the fairway at 3, though!
10:14. Now with 133 remaining, Tiger hits a punch eight-iron to just inside 15 feet. He'll have that for his first birdie of the day...
10:12. Schauffele with a gritty two-putt par after cleaning it up from 7 or so feet. Spieth in for par, too.
10:10. Tiger down the right side with driver at No. 4. In the rough but no real issue.
10:06. Tiger cleans that one up for par while Schauffele punches to the front of the green and Spieth is safely aboard the middle. No birdies yet from our final few groups and I expect they'll remain tough to come by.
10:05. Tiger leaves his putt short and left; he'll have a few feet remaining to think about.
10:02. Kisner, chipping for bogey, hits the flagstick at No. 2. A kick-in double and it's now a two-horse race (for the moment). Stay tuned.
10:01. Schauffele in some rough after missing left with his tee shot at No. 2, while Spieth hits a good one down the right side of the fairway. Did I mention these guys are playing fast? It's such different pacing than so many slower Tour events, although I suppose it may slow down as we hit the brutal back nine...
9:59. Up ahead at No. 3, Tiger has 128 left from the rough. Bit of an unforced error missing this fairway and there's a burn guarding the front of the green. It's a conservative play for Woods, who hits it some 30-40 feet past the pin on the center of the green.
9:57. Spieth and Schauffele each in with par at No. 1. Up ahead...oh no. Kisner leaves his second shot in the bunker at No. 2 and barely gets the third one out.
9:55. Tiger's off the short par-4 3rd with an iron that's just into the right rough from the looks of it. He'll have to decide how aggressive to get from there with a short iron in hand.
9:53. Schauffele's on the green at 1 and Spieth absolutely stuffs one just past the flag; fantastic shot. He'll have a good look from less than 15 feet.
9:51. Woods roasts his birdie putt some four feet past the hole at No. 2, but pours in the comebacker. T7 for Woods still.
9:50. With Kevin Chappell making bogey at No. 1, there's now a lead pack-chase pack thing going on. Kisner-Xander-Spieth now three clear of the rest of the field.
9:47. Woods's approach comes up hole-high and just off the green on the left fringe at No. 2; he'll have a birdie look from some 25 feet.
9:46. Xander Schauffele is off the 1st tee! He goes with iron, too, and it's down the middle. Next up is the defending champion. He's got hybrid and it's going down the right side but should be just fine, though not a great angle.
9:44. The pace of play is seriously speedy out here. Molinari up first from 178; Tiger's got 171. Hitting into a 20 mph wind to a back pin. Molinari to 20 feet.
9:41. Chappell has to chip out at No. 1. 35 guys are under par right now; what will that number be at day's end?
9:40. At No. 2 tee, Tiger's got his first driver of the day and hits a good one down the left side -- maybe just into the rough but not like, the rough-rough. Molinari's down the center. The wind is really whippin' now and it's gonna get really fascinating here.
9:37. Back at No. 1 tee, Chappell plunks an iron into the thick rough and Kisner is down the center of the fairway. Just one group left in the practice area...
9:35. Tiger from 15 feet and it's a slight right-to-lefter. This would be a good one to get right off the bat, especially as birdies get precious in the wind. But it just breaks across the front edge of the cup and needed a couple more inches of pace to it. Even through 1.
9:32. Molinari, playing alongside Tiger Woods, just hit four-iron to the front of the 1st green. Tiger's got five-iron from 176: It's a real striper! Low cut through the wind to just inside 15 feet.
9:30. Tough stuff up ahead: Kuchar, McIlroy and Zach Johnson have each dropped a shot through two holes. Besides No. 2, these first six holes are supposed to be the scoring stretch of the course! Anybody looking to make a move can't go backwards here.
9:24. Okay folks. We're looking in at Tiger Woods on the first tee; he's holding just an iron. Didn't work out well for Matt Kuchar, who just hit hybrid-hybrid into No. 1. But Tiger hits his irons a bit further, I suppose. He's off the tee down the left side of the fairway and seems to like it. Strap in for the round!
9:17. With conditions definitely more difficult than yesterday, there isn't the same feeling that the guys already on the course are charging up the leaderboard. With that said, a couple early birdies have Thorbjorn Oleson to -5, Erik van Rooyen to -6. Tommy Fleetwood just canned his birdie putt at no. 1, too. We've got McIlroy and Kuchar on the first green and Noren/Simpson teeing off. The guy in red is on the tee next...
9:15. Good morning everybody!!! Dylan Dethier here to take you through the morning action from Carnoustie. The sun is out, the wind is blowing and I can't imagine a better Sunday morning. Hit me up @dylan_dethier on Twitter if you've got any questions about the action as we go along.
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – He had the lead alone on the 10th hole at Carnoustie Golf Links, and he appeared the calmest and most composed of all the contenders for the Claret Jug.
Tiger Woods appeared to truly be back. Truly and fully. Until he wasn’t. But, oh man, didn’t he shake the earth for a few fleeting moments? The “doable” of which he spoke on Saturday night – overcoming a four-stroke deficit – was getting done. He was leading the 147th Open Championship, and the world seemed to be spinning backwards.
“It was great, just to be a part of it and hear the roars, [and] Tiger being back in the mix,” Rory McIlroy volunteered, assessing a surreal Sunday along the coast of the North Sea. “For a while, I thought Tiger was going to win. My mindset was go and spoil the party here. It was cool.”
And Tiger Woods looked cool, too – in that calm, collected way he has exhibited so many times in a major championship. The little moral victories of his comeback season appeared to be the seedlings of a real one, a big one, a 15th major title more than 10 years after his last, the 2008 U.S. Open. There was not a hint of nerve in his swing nor a flinch in his putting stroke.
“Oh, yeah,” Woods said when he was asked if he felt those old vibes coming back. “It did. It did. It didn't feel any different. It didn't feel any different to be next to the lead and knowing what I need to do. I've done it so many different ways. It didn't feel any different. It felt great to be a part of the mix and build my way into the championship. Today was a day that I had a great opportunity.”
Instead, he took away another learning experience. Which is like winning a golf shirt for a door prize; useful, but hardly something for him to savor. Playing his final eight holes in 2 over par, Woods carded an even-par 71 on the windswept links and finished at 5-under 279, three strokes behind his playing partner, champion Francesco Molinari. His tie for sixth represents his best in a major since an identical finish in the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield.
Before the hiccups on the 11th and 12th holes, where wayward swings led to a double bogey and bogey, respectively, that extinguished his bid for a nearly unparalleled comeback in history, Woods seemed in command and on his way to an historic accomplishment.
No, he would not have eclipsed the remarkable tale of Ben Hogan, who won the Open Championship here at Carnoustie in 1953 in his only appearance as part of a miraculous comeback from a near-fatal auto accident. But after missing nearly two full years of competition, Woods had the chance for which he had so desperately been pining.
It was glorious while it lasted. It gave the crusty curmudgeon of a golf course a jolt and opened the eyes of both the swollen gallery and his fellow competitors.
Jordan Spieth, the defending champion and third-round co-leader, saw Woods’ name at the top of the board and said to his caddie Michael Greller, “this is what you dream about anyway.”
“Oh, it was a blast,” said Woods, who swung so ferociously out of a fairway bunker at the 10th that you swore you were seeing a highlight reel from a decade ago and not the 42-year-old man with the surgically repaired back. “I was saying earlier that I need to try and keep it in perspective because, the beginning of the year, if they'd have said you're playing the Open Championship, I would have said I'd be very lucky to do that.”
He mentioned his friend, tennis star Serena Williams, who finished runner-up recently at Wimbledon in her first grand slam appearance after giving birth to a daughter in September.
“I'm sure she'll probably call me and talk to me about it because you've got to put things in perspective,” Woods said. “She just had a baby and lost the Wimbledon finals. Just keep it in perspective, and the same thing with me. I know that it's going to sting for a little bit here, but given where I was to where I'm at now, blessed.”
Indeed, he has come a long way to have held his first lead in the final round of a major since the 2012 Masters. But his destination still seems off in the distance. Can he build his game ever closer to the player he once was, the impenetrable and impervious champion?
As well as he played and competed and grinded on Sunday, he still was outflanked by his playing partner, Molinari, who was simply impeccable in a final-round 69 that represented the only bogey-free round of the day.
He may have recognized those familiar feelings with a major on the line, but his mind and body didn’t follow his heart. He erred. And he knew it. “A little ticked off at myself for sure,” he admitted. “I had a chance starting that back nine to do something, and I didn't do it.”
And there is a reason for that.
McIlroy, one of four men who finished runner-up, provided a brutal assessment when quizzed about having to deal with the rejuvenated Woods.
“I mean, not Tiger that Phil and Ernie and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version,” McIlroy said. “But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. He looked good in D.C. a couple weeks back. He's looked good here. [But] with the Tiger we have to face, he does things that maybe he didn't do 10, 15 years ago. But it's still great to have him back. It's still great for golf. It will be interesting to see going forward, but this was his first taste of major championship drama, I guess, for quite a while. Even though he's won 14, you have to learn how to get back. I'm relearning. I feel like I've won quite a few recently, but you still have to relearn to deal with it.”
RELATED: The roller coaster round of Tiger Woods, in the words of those who watched
Woods conceded as much. “I’m building on it. Just like this entire week, I felt like I needed to keep building my way into this championship,” he said. “And I will do that from here.”
There was a consolation prize of immense importance for him at the end. He shook the hand of the winner and then was greeted by his son and daughter, who had been far too young to remember their father thriving in that milieu, that cauldron of pressure that he so often before stared down, seeing through it, in fact, like he would through opponents. They embraced in a lasting hug, and Tiger Woods absorbed the warmth of accomplishment through their arms.
“I told them I tried,” Woods said with just the slightest betrayal of his iron facade, “and I said, ‘Hopefully you're proud of your pops for trying as hard as I did.’ It's pretty emotional because they gave me some pretty significant hugs there and squeezed. I know that they know how much this championship means to me and how much it feels good to be back playing again. To me, it's just so special to have them aware because I've won a lot of golf tournaments in my career, but they don't remember any of them.”
The thing is Woods remembers, and the task for him going forward is to reconcile that with the golfer he is now. On Sunday at Carnoustie he learned he is not the dominant force of yesteryear. But he is still viable contender. Somehow, he has to find a way to overcome using the tools still available to him.
This performance proved a lot. And still not enough.
Introducing Golf Digest All Access, a new way to improve
WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Tiger Woods was in the rough alongside the 11th fairway, the outcome of his first poor shot in Sunday’s final round at the 2018 British Open. Improbably, he was atop the leader board. The tournament was his to lose.
Woods was sizing up his next shot, which would require a risky and mighty swing out of thick rough to a green 184 yards away. It was the kind of shot that a decade ago Woods would execute with an assassin’s aplomb. There would have been a confident, violent slash in the high grass and a near-perfect result that would crush the hopes of every other golfer in the field.
Smiling, Woods would have strutted to the green.
But on Sunday, Woods suddenly paused and dropped his eyes to the ball next to his feet. When he returned his glance to the distant green, indecision was written across his face. He looked unsure, dealing with an unfamiliar factor: self-doubt.
In time, Woods swatted at the ball, but it squirted left until it came to rest, 170 yards away, in another patch of gnarly turf. A hesitant, cautious chip followed, but the ball was still not on the green.
