The Open 2018: Tiger Woods rolls back the years to put himself in contention

A superb round of 66 was his lowest at The Open since a second-round 65 in 2006

Tiger’s back. In fact, Tiger is so back that even if he’s four shots back, he’s still oh so back.

After a Thursday and Friday that suggested Tiger Woods could challenge for The Open came a Saturday that told us he would. At one point, for 20 fleeting minutes, Woods led a major again. It was the first time he had held any share of a major lead since the 2013 Masters at Augusta and his whirlwind round of 66 was his lowest at The Open since a second-round 65 in 2006 - when he last won it.

Excited yet? Perhaps not. After all, there remains the not insignificant challenge of overhauling Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and a clutch of top-class players around him. But there were moments during Saturday’s round when he was not only among the favourites but the one that they were all gunning for, and even though he would end up overtaken, Woods’ confidence is back and he believes he can win a fourth Claret Jug.

“I know that I will be there with a chance,” he said. “They won't be too far out of reach. If they get to double digits, I'm still only five back. That's certainly doable. It's been a few years since I've felt like this.”

With Open winners Spieth, McIlroy and Zach Johnson ahead of him it won’t be an easy task for a player who hasn’t won any event in five years or any major in a decade, but this wasn’t the tortured, grimacing Tiger who admitted at last year’s President’s Cup that he may never play golf again. This wasn’t the bumbling, whacked-out Tiger captured on dashcam video by police in Florida confused as to where he even was.

This was the club-twirling, strutting Tiger who sunk his longest putt of the season - a near 50-footer on the ninth - and rescued his 18th hole from the clutches of the notorious Barry’s Burn to make par and send the galleries at Carnoustie wild.

As he swatted the midges away before making the glorious shot that saved him on the final hole, the crowd was silent and concerned. On the radio they spoke of his momentum having evaporated and the prospect of two bogeys in the final three holes taking the wind out of his sails. But he picked up his wedge and he analysed the 83 yards his rangefinder had said were between him and the pin.

“I hit my number,” he said almost dismissively of the shot that dropped from the sky almost on the pin, settling around two feet away for a par that the crowd, the hollering, adoring crowd made sound like an albatross.

“That was good,” he said, and then said again for good measure.

Woods played his best golf of the week on Saturday (PA)

“I played well today. I really did. I hit a lot of good shots. I really didn't feel like I really made a bad swing until 18. I really felt like I had control of the golf ball today. And on top of that, I made some longer putts, which was nice.

“I was telling the guys earlier, before we teed off, there were a lot of guys three to five under par through 14 holes.

“A couple of guys got to seven under par, either through the finish - like [Justin] Rose, or I think Chris Wood was at seven under par at one point. So there were a bunch of guys that were putting up great scores, and the golf course was gettable.

Woods will be in the mix on Sunday (PA)

“I didn't want to be too far back if the guys got to ten under par today. I had to stay within reach. And five is definitely within reach.”

Five was the figure in his head but four is the one on the scoreboard after Spieth, seen by many as the heir to Woods as golf’s new superstar, posted a 65 to move to nine under par.

That’s the target that Woods will now have on Sunday. Many players would be happy, given what he has gone through in the past year, years and half-decade, to simply be in contention but not Tiger. Not golf’s modern great who sees the improbable and believes it - possibly even makes it - possible.

“It certainly is possible.

“I’ve shown that I've been there close enough with a chance to win this year. Given what happened last few years, I didn't know if that would ever happen again, but here I am with a chance coming Sunday in a major championship. It's going to be fun.”