Father’s pride as revived Woods does it for the kids

● Tiger roared again as he led the Open, and if he didn’t quite win, he showed his fighting qualities to Sam and Charlie

The sun-soaked swarms at Carnoustie seemed intent on proving the theory it’s possible to make something happen if you will it hard enough.

Whatever his misdemeanours, however many times he strides past groups of children and ignores their request for an autograph, Tiger Woods still generates support, possibly more so now.

The multitudes following him almost wished him to the top of the leader board. Once there, Woods then demonstrated how tough it is at the top.

Almost

as

soon

as

he emerged as leader all manner of things began to go awry. He finished five strokes under, three shots behind playing partner and new Open champion Francesco Molinari.

However, Woods stressed this was not the time for tears. Instead, he considered sustaining a challenge until the very last few holes something of a triumph. Carnoustie, where he first developed his love of links, had now provided him with something equally special: the knowledge he can compete again.

It wasn’t something he necessarily needed for his own benefit. Rather, that of his children, Sam and Charlie. At 11 and nine-years-old respectively, they have known only the labours.

There were struggles here too. But this was a better quality of struggle. Woods was out there making room for himself on the leader board again. Woods looked genuinely happy for playing partner Molinari, whose coronation seemed inevitable after the Italian birdied the last hole.

There were times when Woods looked the more obvious candidate of the two to lift the Claret Jug.

Situated in a faraway, almost secret location on the course, those few spectators – well, few compared to elsewhere on the course – gathered behind the ropes at the ninth hole witnessed a special moment.

As Woods was lining up his second shot, the scoreboard to the right of the fairway silently imparted some serious breaking news: he was joint leader. Woods’ name had silently slipped to the top. On the last day of the Open. At 4.20pm.

In a portent of what was to follow, he then found a bunker. But he scrambled to make par, as he had done at eight, and would do so again in the next hole, by which time the excitement on the course reached fever pitch: Woods was outright leader on seven under.

Almost as soon as he grasped what he most wanted, or what we might have presumed he most wanted, it turned to dust in his hands again. His iron off the tee went into the rough. His approach shot at 11 then hit the galleries and kicked into the rough behind the green. A double bogey, eventually – his first of the tournament.

The slide back had begun. There was a glimpse of hope when he made an unlikely birdie at 14. He had found the green – but it was a massive shared green, and he might have been nearer the fourth hole than the one he wanted. He wedged the ball off the green to about 40 feet. He holed the putt.

Carnoustie believed again. Imagine the seethe elsewhere. Other Open rota courses must have been aghast. What with Hogan, Watson, Lawrie/van de Velde, has this patch of Angus land not been blessed with enough drama? Now it looked possible it could be the scene for perhaps the greatest tale of all: Tiger’s comeback major win, 11 years after his