“Favorite Place in the World”

TIGER Woods pledged to bring his A-game to St Andrews – after proving he still has the whiff of glory in his nose.

Woods’ fiery red shirt was lighter than the golf he played in one of the worst finals ever Augusta Nationame on saturday

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But only to get around 72 holes one of the great tests of the game was a triumph.

and Woods promised British fans He will be in the field when The Open return to Fifeshire for their 150th tournament in July.

Woods said: “I’m looking forward to St Andrews.

“That is very important to me.

“I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf and my favorite course in the world so I’ll be there.”

It was a happy ending to 36 holes of hard work, despite the huge galleries that followed its every turn.

But amidst the twitches, the grimaces the pain and frustration One thing remains undiminished.

The belief that a final, glorious chapter must be written. Win a 15th Major.

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Forget the afternoon’s struggles and a 78 that ended him with 13 overs, his highest 72-hole eight-stroke total.

But just beating Friday’s cut was a victory in itself, as Woods’ mere appearance brought a staggering 31 percent increase in television viewership in the US alone.

After all, just 14 months ago, the question was whether Woods would keep his right leg and then ever walk again, instead of teeing off with Jon Rahm on day four The master.

Now that he’s proven, particularly in his first 36 holes, that he remains not only the biggest draw in golf but also remains competitive, it’s a matter of what comes next.

He could be 46, that age Jack Nicklaus was when he won the last of his six Green Jackets in 1986.

But Woods isn’t ready to give up his bats just yet.

Woods said: “I tell myself the same thing every day – never give up. Always chase your dreams.

“And I fight every day.

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“Every day is a challenge. Every day presents us all with its own challenges. I wake up and start the fight over.”

The challenge yesterday was to spin again, although Rahm, world number one until about a week ago, would have liked his 69 to be more meaningful.

It was a fight too, despite a first birdie.

A series of three bogeys — Woods even dropped his club near the top of his swing after making a misguided shot straight from the middle of the fairway to a five — saw the limp and frowns return.

In fact, Woods hobbles to the green with one leg oddly bent, was a tough watch.

A brilliant scramble out of the forward bunker at seven stopped the rot, but another went at 10 after going miles to the left.

His hooked approach to 13 ended in the azaleas, forcing him to play left-handed and doing well to keep it on the green at all, while a three-putt for a double bogey after a pulled drive and a second Push at 17 sent him further down the field.

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but the strut was back as he crept up the hill to an enthusiastic reception at the last, which continued on his way to the clubhouse.

Woods added, “Not winning an event was without a doubt one of my greatest achievements.

“Just a month ago I didn’t know if I could pull this off and to have that support out there was incredible. Now we are excited about the future.”