Open challenge suggests Woods is on the right track

Having spent much of this decade off the radar, Tiger Woods surprised everyone with an impressive display in The Open at Carnoustie.

The 42-year-old rolled back the years, producing his lowest round at a major since 2011, with a 66 on Saturday. And the American even led the standings for a while, thanks to a bright start in the final round.

Is Tiger really on the way back?

Before a mid-round slump, he began the final round in unbelievable form, including a stunning birdie on the tricky fourth hole. And throughout the opening nine holes, his drives were consistently excellent.

Woods eventually ended in joint-sixth, three shots behind Francesco Molinari – who became the first Italian ever to lift the Claret Jug.

But despite failing to maintain that momentum throughout, Tiger played with positivity and a swagger which we hadn’t seen in a long time.

Eventual winner Molinari praised Woods’ “good sportsmanship” at Carnoustie, while the American also gamely handed a signed club to an unfortunate fan hit by one of his shots.

While it may seem like a flash in the pan result for Woods, this finish hasn’t come out of nowhere. He didn’t make the cut for the U.S. Open, but the 14-time major winner did finish in the top 32 at the Masters earlier in 2018.

Whether or not Woods builds on his performance at Carnoustie remains to be seen. But he’ll surely have a spring in his step ahead of the US PGA Championship next month.

On the back of his Open resurgence, Woods is 25/1 to win the PGA Championship, a title he last won in 2007.

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