When Woods combined his six-over opening round with three more risky shots in slightly more favorable conditions on Friday morning, reality quashed any unlikely notion of entering the weekend’s class with younger, stronger contenders. Rarely, if ever, in the Open’s 150 years has a player who finished nine over par been enveloped in such a boisterous embrace on the 18th hole. Limping on his reconstructed right leg, Woods raised his hat to the skies as he flew over the Swilcan Bridge, never pausing to stand. But the 46-year-old exposed his thinning thatch to the afternoon sun and at the same time connected with the plaudits of the exiting gallery for his golden story as much as for his failed attempt. “I’ve been coming here since 1995,” Woods said tearfully. “I think the next one is coming around 2030? I don’t know if I will be physically able to play until then. So for me it felt like this might be my last British Open here at St Andrews. Tiger Woods finished nine over par after two rounds, nine shots under the cut. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian “The fans, the applause and the warmth, it was an incredible feeling. I see what Jack [Nicklaus] και ο Άρνολντ[Πάλμερ}είχεπεράσειστοπαρελθόνΈνιωθακάπωςέτσιεκείστοτέλοςμόνοησυλλογικήζεστασιάκαικατανόησηΚαταλαβαίνουντιείναιτογκολφκαιτιχρειάζεταιγιαναείσαιπρωταθλητήςτουOpenΉμουναρκετάτυχερόςκαιαρκετάτυχερόςπουτοκέρδισαδύοφορέςεδώΈνιωσαπολύσυγκινητικόγιατίαπλάδενξέρωπώςθαείναιηυγείαμουΝιώθωότιθαμπορέσωναπαίξωστομελλοντικόΒρετανικόΌπεναλλάδενξέρωανθαμπορώναπαίξωαρκετόκαιρόώστεότανεπιστρέψωεδώθασυνεχίσωναπαίζω;»[Palmer}hadgonethroughinthepastIwaskindoffeelingthatwaythereattheendjustthecollectivewarmthandunderstandingTheyunderstandwhatgolf’sallaboutandwhatittakestobeanOpenchampionI’vebeenluckyenoughandfortunateenoughtohavewonthistwicehereItfeltveryemotionalbecauseIjustdon’tknowwhatmyhealthisgoingtobelikeIfeellikeIwillbeabletoplayfutureBritishOpensbutIdon’tknowifI’llbeabletoplaylongenoughtthatwhenwillitbestillbeplaybackaround?”[Πάλμερ}είχεπεράσειστοπαρελθόνΈνιωθακάπωςέτσιεκείστοτέλοςμόνοησυλλογικήζεστασιάκαικατανόησηΚαταλαβαίνουντιείναιτογκολφκαιτιχρειάζεταιγιαναείσαιπρωταθλητήςτουOpenΉμουναρκετάτυχερόςκαιαρκετάτυχερόςπουτοκέρδισαδύοφορέςεδώΈνιωσαπολύσυγκινητικόγιατίαπλάδενξέρωπώςθαείναιηυγείαμουΝιώθωότιθαμπορέσωναπαίξωστομελλοντικόΒρετανικόΌπεναλλάδενξέρωανθαμπορώναπαίξωαρκετόκαιρόώστεότανεπιστρέψωεδώθασυνεχίσωναπαίζω;»[Palmer}hadgonethroughinthepastIwaskindoffeelingthatwaythereattheendjustthecollectivewarmthandunderstandingTheyunderstandwhatgolf’sallaboutandwhatittakestobeanOpenchampionI’vebeenluckyenoughandfortunateenoughtohavewonthistwicehereItfeltveryemotionalbecauseIjustdon’tknowwhatmyhealthisgoingtobelikeIfeellikeIwillbeabletoplayfutureBritishOpensbutIdon’tknowifI’llbeabletoplaylongenoughthatwhenitcomesbackaroundherewillIstillbeplaying?” Woods was both candid and unrepentant about his usual appearance. Again and again, he couldn’t convincingly thrust his hips through the shot, looking an almost timid shadow of the fearsome athlete he once was. “I made my mistakes,” he admitted. “I struggled again today to get the feel of the greens. I left a lot short again. Same as yesterday. And I hit some bad shots, I ended up in bad spots. And, again, I never caught anything.” Whatever happens to Woods in the rest of his career, surviving that car accident and remaking his shattered bones and souls will be among his greatest achievements. The days of awesome athleticism and overwhelming triumph, however, are over. Now it’s a game of hope, a relentless grind, bone against grit, player against the golf course. Woods started to chip away at the deficit with a dealer-like birdie at the 398-yard 3rd. The priority was to make the cut not a counterattack on the leaders. He needed at least 66 to stay in the discussion, he said Thursday night. A new right leg would be helpful. Spectators try to catch a glimpse of Tiger Woods as he makes what will likely be his last appearance at St Andrews. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian He shot back, a hint of what was to come. At the 570-yard 5th, he hit a superb cut 235 yards down the center of the fairway over the Spectacles bunkers, landing lightly on the shared green and rolling the ball tantalizingly close to the flag – the mistake, the one assigned to the 13th. He left a long putt 15 feet short and then missed the birdie by an inch. It was done at 37. The journey home was potholed with disappointment. The sun broke out but did not shine kindly on Tigris. Enviously watching the flight and growing confidence of Matt Fitzpatrick alongside the shelter-prone Max Homa, Woods ran out of holes well before the difficult final stretch. A double bogey on the 418-yard 16th killed any hope. The crowd that had given loyal support fell silent – out of respect or pity, it was hard to tell. The Road Hole crowd came alive and cheered him wildly as he cut the corner with elan. And then the final scene: he fell down into the valley of sin and up to the ledge, 4 meters from the hole. Surely, he would grab back a stroke from the old turf? No, a tremor struck and, true to his league, he limped away, a faint smile playing on his lips as St. Andrews rose to greet him nonetheless. Mark Calcavecchia, meanwhile, went wild in his last Open with 21 strokes too many pars for 62-year-old legs that he revealed are crying out for surgery. As Tiger got underway, Calcavecchia was putting the torturous touches on an 82, missing a bogey four-footer on 18. “Forget my golf. It wouldn’t have mattered if I shot a pair of 75s or a pair of 85s, which I almost did,” he said. “It was to play another one, my last one here at the home of golf, which is really nice to be able to finish it here.” Was it really that cool? Pretending his appearance was even vaguely relevant did no disservice to the player, the tournament or the game. It was a strange treat, the entrance to the big stage being given to a former Open champion. However, 33 years after his victory at Troon, a player with two bad knees and a belt stretching his trousers is being invited to compete in an elite sporting event watched by millions around the world. This can’t be right. As the Tiger said: “Life goes on.”
