oh, to be 23 years old again
woods finally coming to terms with the toll age has taken on his body and his game
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — So now we know.
Tiger Woods isn’t done, no matter what it looked like on his slog through the only two rounds he played in this British Open. He’s also not in danger of being put in traction, no matter how many times he is asked about his surgically repaired back.
He’s just not 23 anymore. And that might be the worst part of being a superstar in any sport.
Woods admitted as much Friday, just before catching his jet home to Florida. If there’s an upside to missing the cut at Royal Portrush, he said, it’s that he’ll get a chance to sleep in his own bed once again.
Meet the new Tiger. Not the same as the old Tiger.
‘‘Things are different,’’ said Woods, who followed his 7-over-par 78 in the first round with a 1-under 70 in the second. ‘‘I’m going to have my hot weeks. I’m going to be there in contention with a chance to win, and I will win tournaments. But there are times when I’m just not going to be there. And that wasn’t the case 20-some-odd years ago.’’
Coming to grips with age, of course, is something every athlete struggles with. Woods is no exception, though his rabid fans somehow think he’s exempt from the realities mere mortals face.
And, really, who can blame them? A magical victory this spring at the Masters after he went 11 years without winning a major not only added to Woods’ legend but left his fans wanting even more.
One look Friday at Woods joylessly plodding his way around Royal Portrush, though, and it was apparent he’s not only human but an aging human.
He’ll be 44 by the time he returns to Augusta National to defend his green jacket, with the aches and pains of anyone that age exacerbated by the number of times he has swung golf clubs in his life and the four back surgeries that resulted from it.
But he’s not done, and to suggest so would be silly. His play on the back nine on Sunday at the Masters was textbook precision, and winning the green jacket for a fifth time was almost as remarkable as Jack Nicklaus winning at the age of 46 in 1986.
He will, as he says, likely win again, and it might not be long before that happens. Woods said he’s primed to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs after taking a few weeks off to rest and recharge.
But Woods isn’t going to dominate again, like he did in his prime. He’s not going to win tournaments in bunches, like he did in his 20s. He never will hold all the major championships at one time again, like he did during one brilliant stretch nearly two decades ago.
Accepting that takes some time, but Woods finally seems to understand it.
‘‘It’s just a matter of being consistent,’’ Woods said. ‘‘That’s one of the hardest things to accept as an older athlete is that you’re not going to be as consistent as you were at 23.’’
A quick look at the results backs that up. Woods seemed to come to this Open with low expectations — and with good reason. He hadn’t played competitively since the U.S. Open and was coming off a vacation in Thailand.
But in the three majors since his Masters victory, he only played on the weekend once. That was at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he wasn’t a factor.
He has missed the cut in only 10 majors in 23 years as a pro. Seven of those missed cuts have come in his last 13 majors.
‘‘It’s more frustrating than anything else because this is a major championship and I love playing in these events,’’ Woods said. ‘‘I love the atmosphere. I love just the stress of playing in a major.’’
There were more questions about his back, though Woods didn’t say anything specifically all week about any pain. No, he’s not moving as well as he used to, Woods said. And he was sore after playing golf in the cold and rain Thursday.
And the last major of the decade was yet another reminder that he’s not 23 anymore.