What it can be, however, is merely what the player expected of himself and that it was not even that for Woods yesterday - the wild hook at the 18th bringing a scowl just as wide - simply highlighted the great gulf in class between the world No 1 and all those beneath him. True, there were some big names who will claim they are still within shouting distance; Vijay Singh at six under after a second successive 69 and out on the course Colin Montgomerie was putting the roar back into the Scottish brogue moving to six under with three holes to go. Monty, too, was fighting hard to re-state his right to a place among the golf ?te. But nothing anyone could do would touch the reality that for one last day Jick Nicklaus was again the very heartbeat of the game.. A tear of nostalgia in one eye, a blink of astonishment in the other. It was not just Jack Nicklaus who was saying farewell to competitive golf yesterday Tiger Woods's rivals were doing likewise. The 29-year-old recorded a 67 to move to 11 under and put enough daylight between himself and the pack to make it appear unbreachable.
When he left the course, when the emotion was spent, the Tiger reappeared, as commanding as at any time in the last few years. He bogeyed the 12th after playing sideways out of a bunker, and then when reality announced that he was playing just for sentiment now, for a respectable parting with the great course that became his spiritual home, he played a quite beautiful approach shot at the 16th It was a stirring prelude to the final drama on the 18th It said that the Golden Bear would leave with one last roar. He managed that, and then struck back with a birdie at the sixth. Another came at the 10th, after he had created birdie chances at the ninth and 10th, but as the emotion built around him the vital additional birdies would not come. Walking down the last holes, I thought, man, I can't to through this again Maybe it was just as well I missed the cut. The people gave me a lot more than I deserved." However, it was the putt on the 18th that was most eloquent.
It spoke of consistency of spirit and effort of seeing out the job in the best way you can. Nearly five hours earlier, before all the waves of emotion that would sweep across the Old Course, there was a moment that transcended the passions of a gallery that packed every available vantage point, including the balcony of Rusack's hotel, which overlooks the first and 18th fairways, and the upstairs windows of the Tom Morris golf shop. It came when Nick Price, a double majors winner, and Chris DiMarco, who chased Woods so hard into a play-off in this year's US Masters, came to the 18th green as Nicklaus arrived on the first tee. Both walked to the tee to shake his hand, but the gesture for the ages came from Price, the tough old pro from Zimbabwe As Price approached Nicklaus he slowly raised his cap. The moment will surely be frozen in the annals of an ultimately individualistic sport.
