Tiger Woods has written many stirring stories across the 18th hole of a golf course. With 82 career PGA Tour victories, tied for the lead with Sam Snead, his signature red shirt and familiar celebratory fist pump have filled our screens for decades.
And yet Woods had never been part of a scene quite like the one that unfolded Friday morning in Scotland, where his final hole of this 150th British Open was as moving as anything he has been part of across an extraordinary career. From symbolic start to emotional finish, that 18th hole encapsulated everything about what has made Woods so compelling this tournament, even if it ended two days too early for his liking, with him deep on the wrong side of the cut line.
First, he waited to tee off on 18 while Rory McIlroy, the most logical heir to his face-of-the-game mantle, waited to tee off on 1. Soon, he took his not-quite smooth stride across the famous Swilcan Bridge, where he elected not to stop and take in the view as some sort of nod to retirement a la Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer, but did make sure to tip and wave his cap to the fans. Then he walked himself right into one of those rare and special moments in history where reverence and deference collide.
While the rest of his golfing party hung back, Woods made his way up the fairway to the sustained applause of the Scottish crowd, his own St. Andrews moment in the sun (or wind, or cold, depending on vagaries of UK weather). He wore his life’s scars, evident in the unnatural bend in his lower right leg, the one that had to be surgically repaired after the car wreck that nearly killed him. He wore his 46 years, obvious in the bare patch of scalp when he waved that Nike cap once again. And then, he wore his heart on his sleeve, tears falling down his cheeks, wiped away by a man who for so long made stoicism his default expression and attitude.
It was impossible not to watch. And yet, it was somehow hard to watch too, knowing there may never be another Sunday major charge in him.
We have been witness to so many evolutions of Woods through the years, from dominant phenom to disgraced star, from peerless competitor who impressed his opponents to aloof loner who barely got to know them. From injury to recovery, from pariah to conquering hero, he has done it all, captivating us, impressing us, and disappointing us along the way.
But he has never failed to engage us, and in these recent years, as his career draws closer to its end, he has never engaged us more, opening himself up to friendships with fellow golfers and conversations with fellow reporters in ways he never did before, particularly in his vociferous defense of the PGA Tour vis a vis the LIV Tour defection.
So when he reflected on that walk on 18, when he looked back at what it meant to be here for this historic Open, when he looked forward to a future so uncertain for its physical limitations, he had to admit, “it’s been very emotional for me.”
“I’ve been coming here since 1995, and I think the next one comes around [to St. Andrews] in what, 2030?” he said. “And I don’t know if I will be physically able to play by then. So to me it felt like this might have been my last British Open here at St. Andrews. And the fans, the ovation and the warmth, it was an unbelievable feeling.
“I understand what Jack and Arnold had gone through in the past. I was kind of feeling that way there at the end. And just the collective warmth and understanding. They understand what golf’s all about and what it takes to be an Open champion. …
“It got to me. And I felt the guys stop there off the tee on 18, and it was just incredible. Just the amount of understanding and respect from all the people that are involved in this event, that come out in support of the players, the nods I was getting as the players were going out.
I looked over there, and Rory gave me a tip of the cap. [Justin Thomas] did the same. It’s just there’s something to it that’s just different.”
Cynics might fall back on the old but relevant observation that too many athletes figure out how to say hello just when it’s time to say goodbye, but in the many evolutions of Woods, this one feels sincere. He seems ready to accept that his most competitive days are behind him, perhaps knowing his 2019 Masters win already represented the most impressive of comebacks, and ready to join as many future major fields as he can as much for the joy of participation as for the expectation of victory.
There were times he was hard to watch on Friday, the stilted gait and dying putts such stark reminders of what he can no longer do in the game. But mostly, he was impossible not to watch Friday, the sounds of the crowd such a powerful reminder of everything he has already done.
“As I got closer to the green, more into the hole, the ovation got louder and you could feel the warmth and you could feel the people from both sides,” he said. “It felt like the whole tournament was right there.
“And they all had appreciated what I’ve done here for the years I’ve played – I’ve won two championships here - my British Open success and all my times I’ve enjoyed here in Scotland and playing, I felt like it just came to a head right there as I was walking to my golf ball.
“I had a few tears. I’m not one who gets very teary-eyed very often about anything. But when it comes to the game and the passing on … I felt the respect. I’ve always respected this event. I’ve always respected the traditions of the game.”
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara.
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