Woods Falls Short in Final Round of 2018 British Open

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy shared hugs outside the scoring room at the British Open either side of a brief private chat, two champions experiencing similar disappointment after coming up short at Carnoustie on Sunday.

Two hours earlier, Woods had one hand on the Claret Jug for what would have been the fourth time after surging to the lead with a flawless front nine on a day when the previously missing wind finally bared some teeth, Reuters reported.

But a double-bogey at the par-four 11th, where he failed to pull off a delicate flop shot from beyond the green, proved the undoing of the 14-times major champion.

He maintained his unwanted record of never having won a major starting the final round from behind.

Woods said it felt like old times. The 42-year-old has gone more than a decade without winning one of golf’s four biggest championships. “I had a great opportunity,” he said after shooting 71 to finish equal sixth, three strokes behind winner Francesco Molinari. “I know it’s going to sting for a little bit here, but given where I was to where I am now, (I feel) blessed.”

The “where I was” referred to the years of debilitating back pain that was finally solved by a spinal fusion last April, allowing him to resume his career after four years of severely-curtailed appearances.