The Old Course gets Tiger talking

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — This was a golfer of our time embracing the game and the course for all time, a man aware of his past and, as all of us, uncertain of the future. But for once seemingly delighted to tell us what he feels.

Tiger Woods and the Old Course, so much history and a perhaps a wee bit of mystery, coming together for the 150th Open Championship.

It was as if Babe Ruth had emerged for a World Series game at Yankee Stadium, a man of the past unworried about the future, regaling us with nostalgia of the good times and the great rounds.

You know he’s ready for the Open, which he won twice here — and even at age 46, and after the injuries from the car crash, has an outside chance to win again.

We didn’t know he was so willing to be part of golf’s past, an aging player who grew up idolizing the names and locations that make golf the beautiful and compelling activity it has become.

“This is where it all began for me as an amateur,” said Woods. “My first chance to play in The Open Championship was here. I'll never forget I played with Ernie Els and Peter Jacobsen the first two days. We had a chance to play with some greats in practice rounds — Freddie Couples, Raymond Floyd, Ollie, (Jose Maria Olazabal), Bernhard Langer.

“I had a great time as a young little kid, and they showed me the ropes of how to play this golf course and how many different options there were. It was eye-opening how this golf course can play as easily as it can be played and also as difficult it can play just by the wind changing.”

Maybe no Scot ever said “Nay wind, nay rain, nay golf,” but those challenges of nature are so much a part of the game along the restless North Sea, the weather cannot be ignored.

Nor can that final walk on the bridge that spans Swilcan Burn on the Old Course’s final fairway.

Every great has stopped there to pose for a minute or so before finishing what he knew would be his last round at St. Andrews. For Tiger, it’s only speculation. He could return. He probably won’t.

“I have a photo in my office when I first played my first practice round, me sitting there, and it means a lot,” he said. “I mean, the history and the people that have walked over that bridge.

“(Monday) to have Lee (Trevino) and Rory (McIlroy) and Jack (Nicklaus) and just stand there with them, that's history right there. The telecast would come on at 5 a.m. on the West Coast to get a chance to watch them play and to see them hit the shots, and listen to Lee Buck talking about the small ball playing over here and what he used to do with it. These are things that makes it so special.”

Woods was asked about the LIV tour, and he dismissed the idea. He remains loyal to the PGA tour, which has enabled him to become a billionaire.

Having shown his appreciation for golf’s history, Tiger was asked if he knew that the new kids, now in their 20s and 30s, would now be as enthusiastic as they went along.

“In what way?” Woods wondered. “I'm trying to understand. The fact that you love the history of the game, and the modern kid probably couldn't tell you the first thing about who won what before Tiger Woods. Well, I think it's different. I guess nowadays you can just look it up on your phone. And you don't have to go to the library and try and figure out who won what. The world has changed dramatically. The history of the game is certainly something that I've taken to the challenge.”

There is not much to challenge when it comes to Tiger Woods.