Tiger made us all believe miracles can happen
WOODS: IT’S GREAT MY KIDS SAW ME AS MAJOR FORCE
WHEN Tiger Woods won his last Open in 2006, he broke down in tears following the death of his father.
Twelve long years later, he welled up with emotion yesterday after he was consoled by his own children after making a run at another Major amid frenzied excitement.
It was just like the old days. Yet different. But the winner of 14 Majors is back in the game. Walking up the 18th the American shared a great reception with playing partner and champion Francesco Molinari (above).
As he lifted his cap, his receding hair showed the surgeries and the scandals have taken their toll. And a missed short putt at the 72nd cost him a share of second place as he settled for tied sixth with his third level-par 71 of the week. But he was then greeted by his girlfriend Erica Herman and his two children – daughter Sam, 11, and son Charlie, nine (below) – and life did not seem so bad.
Woods fought back the tears as he said: “I told them I tried, and I said: ‘Hopefully, you’re proud of your pops for trying as hard as I did’. It’s pretty emotional as they gave me some pretty significant hugs there and squeezes.
“I know they know how much this championship means to me and how much it feels good to be back playing again.
“To me, it’s so special to have them aware as I’ve won a lot of golf tournaments in my career, but they don’t remember any of them.
“So for them it’s 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. Man, it’s just such a great feeling.” The former world No.1 had a familiar old feeling when he returned to the top of a Major leaderboard for the first time since the 2013 Masters this week. “Did it feel like old times?” he added. “It did. It didn’t feel any different.” Woods, 42, had started the final round four shots off the pace, but was sole leader by the turn before his momentum stalled. At No.11, his second shot saw his club caught in the rough and his ball hit a fan on his way to his only double bogey of the week. Another dropped shot at 12 saw him drop down the field and Carnoustie is too tough to make a late charge. Forty years to the week from Jack Nicklaus winning his 15th Major at The Open, Woods could not rival the Golden Bear’s feelgood win at the 1986 Masters.
By shooting a brilliant Saturday 66, Woods showed he has rediscovered the game to win again. Yet, when the old Tiger would have romped to victory, he did not have the nerve to close the deal. But it still felt good.
Woods, who returns to the world’s top 50 and qualifies for next month’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, insisted: “Oh, it was a blast. At the beginning of the year, if they’d have said you’re playing The Open, I would have said I’d be very lucky to do that.
“Serena Williams and I are good friends. I’m sure she’ll call me and talk to me about it because you’ve got to put things in perspective.
“She just had a baby and lost the Wimbledon final.
“I know it’s going to sting for a little bit, but given where I was to where I am now, I’m blessed.”
and Jordan Spieth all made favourites at some stage.
Defending champion Spieth said Woods, whose last Major triumph was in 2008, no longer has the bottle to be a front-runner.
But Molinari showed no nerves as he made several crucial putts to win – and miss his easyJet flight home.
The Italian, who finished eight under par, was crowned champ when rival Xander Schauffele, last year’s US rookie of the year, couldn’t match his clubhouse total.
Molinari said: “I had an easyJet flight at 9pm to get back home so I think that’s gone.
“My record around here was terrible so that didn’t make me too optimistic about the week.”
The Ryder Cup star looked composed in the clubhouse after finishing his round but confessed he couldn’t watch his young American rival Schauffele over the closing stretch. “I couldn’t watch Xander play the last two holes,” he said. “That’s why I went to the putting green because I probably would have felt sick watching on TV.
“Italy is not really a major golfing country. I look at the names on that Claret Jug and to be on there with them is incredible.”
Woods (above) went top of the leadboard at the turn before dropping three shots on the 11th and 12th. Spieth (top) said: “He won’t tell you but he’s human. Experiencing the kind of pressure that he would have felt leading The Open on a Sunday is no different to what anybody else would have been feeling. He has not experienced it for so long.”