Woods bounces back in style of true champion

When Arnold Palmer, in 1960, and Jack Nicklaus, in 1972, won both the Masters and the US Open each man lost in the Open Championship by a single stroke. Even with a closing round of 65, which took the world No 1 back to level par, Tiger Woods was never destined to come as close to matching Ben Hogan's Triple Crown of championships in 1953.

Rarely has Woods had so early a Sunday tee-time as 8.30am, fully six hours before the final pairing went off. The stands were not packed but when he came up the 18th fairway the reception was that befitting the Open champion he is. It was always to be expected that Woods would finish in a certain style.

"My goal today was to go out and play the way I did on the first two days," Woods said. "The difference today was that the putts dropped. If I could get to even par or under par it would be a very successful tournament." Success for a man who has won seven of the previous 11 majors is relative.

It was the 81 in Saturday's third round that meant there would be no first calendar-year Grand Slam for Woods. At least not this year. The weather was horrific during the time he was on the course that afternoon but, contrary to all expectations, Woods handled it worse than most. It was his highest score as a professional and his worst since an 81 as an amateur at the Scottish Open in Carnoustie in 1996.

"Yesterday was just a brutal day," he said in the calm of an early Sunday lunchtime in front of the clubhouse here. "It was one of those freak days. It was a tough day and I certainly wasn't hitting the ball very good on top of that. That compounded the problem."

Woods could recall a worse round. It came at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland last year on his annual golfing and fishing trip with Mark O'Meara, J P McManus and friends. "I think I shot 83," Woods said. "Honestly, I was the low round of the group. It was brutal. It was blowing about 40, 50 miles an hour. I hit a two-iron from 150 yards and didn't get there. It was blowing that hard."

Nicklaus only once won the first two majors of the season and whether Woods does again remains to be seen. When it was put to him that he could still have a great season by winning three majors for the second time in three years, Woods cut the question short. "Two was a great year," he said. "I think sometimes the media and everybody tend to lose perspective on how difficult it is to win a major championship. Any time you can win one major in a year it is going to be a successful year."

As for the Grand Slam, Woods was almost dismissive. "I have already accomplished it. Only difference is that it would be a different way of doing it." Woods won four majors in a row – the first time it had ever been achieved – from the US Open in 2000 to the Masters the following year.

Woods did not exactly get off to a fast start yesterday, bogeying the third, but he got his round going by with a birdie at the par-five fifth, a hole where he had a seven the previous afternoon. He had a three at the sixth and then found the green at the ninth with two two-irons and made an eagle to be out in 33. He picked up another shot at the 11th and had a two at the 13th, the scene of his other double-bogey on Saturday when he took two to get out of a bunker.

He reached level par with his last birdie at the 15th but it would have taken a remarkable finish to have posted a score that would have intimidated the later starters. Before his plane could leave, his entourage had to wait a couple of hours for O'Meara, who finished a shot better at one under.

Woods had not played since the US Open and may not play again before the USPGA at Hazeltine next month. If he does it would be at the Buick Open the week before – he has a contract with the car firm – but has not yet decided. As for the USPGA, Woods said: "It is a major championship. I will try and get ready the best I possibly can."