‘Frustrated’ Tiger heads home

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — It’s difficult to believe it has been just three months since Tiger Woods won the Masters.

Conventional wisdom after Woods’ historic win in April at Augusta was his 15th career major championship might free him up to win more.

But as Woods limped away from this week’s British Open after only two rounds, having missed the cut with his 6-over total after shooting a 1-under 70 in Friday’s second round, that wisdom looks utterly unfounded.

The way Woods looked this week at Royal Portrush, it makes you believe the bold assertion that NBC golf analyst Paul Azinger made in an interview with The Post last week, when he speculated that Woods might never win again — major or no major — because that Masters victory was such a “mountaintop’’ experience for him.

Since the Masters, Woods has missed the cut at the PGA Championship, failed to get in contention and finished tied for 21st at the U.S. Open, and now this.

“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. And unfortunately, I’ve only had a chance to win one of them [this year] and was able to do it. But the other three I didn’t do very well.’’

Woods, who didn’t play a warm-up tournament between the U.S. Open and the British Open, never looked well this week. He grimaced on his opening tee shot Thursday and nearly fell down while trying to retrieve his ball out of the cup on the seventh hole Friday.

His session with the media after Thursday’s round sounded more like a concession speech. Woods almost lectured reporters that “this is the way it’s going to be’’ for him at his age (43) after having had four back surgeries.

“I just have to continue doing what I’m doing,’’ Woods said. “I’ve gotten so much stronger over the past year working with my physios and trying to get my body organized so that I can play at a high level. It panned out: I won a major chip this year [the Masters].

“It’s just a matter of being consistent. 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. Things are different. And 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.’’ Like this week.

Asked if this stretch of “starts and stops’’ is anything like his stretch in 201516, when he struggled with his back and his form, Woods said: “You can’t compare the two. Those were some of the lowest times of my life. This is not. This is just me not playing well and not scoring well, and adds

up to high scores.’’