Tiger’s major tale, Dolan’s a dope, Serena & ‘Billions’ are wrong...

● I just saw the “Top Gun: Maverick” trailer and just have to tell you that I’m not sure I can wait until 2020 for the movie.

If you’ve followed the coverage of Tiger Woods this year, it’s gone something like this:

1) He’s back, and look out Jack Nicklaus. 2) He’s rusty.

3) He’s old, and wounded. All in the space of about four months.

Listen: Tiger winning the Masters was maybe the story of the year.

But as soon as he won, it was as if everybody developed amnesia about how old he is and how many surgeries he’s had (in a non-contact sport, by the way).

And if he didn’t think he was physically able to compete at the British Open, why was he even there?

It was as terrific as always watching him try to fight back on Friday and maybe even make the cut.

The wisdom on this still comes from a great old Aussie Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman:

If you’re hurt, you don’t play. If you play, you’re not hurt. I have to stop comparing Sen.

Lindsey Graham to dogs, because why insult man’s best friend that way?

● First our guy Jimmy Dolan tries to swing a mayoral election in Inglewood, Calif.

Where’s he going with his money next, Grand Rapids? Santa Fe?

Knicks fans are probably thinking this way:

Fewer mayors, more major free agents.

Because you know when Dolan’s Knicks have been able to lure one of the best free agents in the world to Madison Square Garden?

Never, is when.

I heard on ESPN last weekend that Serena never gets routed the way Simona Halep routed her in the Wimbledon final. Really?

In the ’18 Wimbledon final, Serena lost 6-3, 6-3 to Angelique Kerber.

In the ’18 U.S. Open final, she lost 6-2, 6-4 to Naomi Osaka.

Now she gets four games off Halep.

She hasn’t won a set in three finals and gotten a grand total of 16 games.

Define rout.

● After all the aces in Roger

Federer’s elegant career, he needed one more last Sunday against Novak Djokovic.

Couldn’t get it.

As Djokovic remained as tough an out as I’ve ever seen in men’s tennis, as tough as Nadal or Connors or anyone.

I keep hearing that Dave

Gettleman has changed the culture with the Giants.

You know when culture matters in sports? When it’s a winning culture.

● Nick Saban says that star college football players essentially turning themselves into free agents isn’t good for the sport.

But you have to say that free agency has always worked out swell for coaches like Nick.

● If the San Francisco Giants can get on this kind of roll, what is stopping the New York Mets.

The Mets at this point in the season have exactly two guys who have exceeded expectations:

McNeil. Alonso.

That’s it.

You want to really know where we are as a country right now?

People still seem to care what Kellyanne Conway thinks. About anything.

How did “Billions” not get an Emmy nomination?

Okay, what’s going to be the ad campaign for this year’s winner-take-all match between Tiger and Phil?

● That crowd in Greenville, N.C. the other night chanting “Send her back” while the president of the United States did nothing to stop them pretty much made Greenville, N.C. the slow-thinking capital of the world.

But only for now.

Lot of arenas and a lot of halls just like that one between now and November of 2020.

● Remember when the men’s World Cup came to the U.S. and the slogan was that two billion people couldn’t be wrong?

Meaning two billion soccer fans around the world?

I said at the time that sure they could, at least that many people had seen “Cats.”

So, like, make me go see the movie.

Did the Daily News hire Isiah and Phil?