British Open 2018: Top five takeaways from Carnoustie

The entire golf world felt their hair stand up on the back of their necks on Sunday. Tiger Woods was alone in the lead on Sunday of a major championship. It was finally going to happen!

Except, almost as suddenly as he took the lead, he lost it. Woods fought valiantly for his 15th career major championship, and the stars seemed to finally align. But a few mistakes down the stretch kept the dream from becoming reality.

Woods said that he wanted to have his children, Sam and Charlie, there to see their dad do the things he did earlier in his career. In 2008, Sam was only one year old, and Charlie hadn’t even been born. To play at this level, and then to actually have a chance to win, clearly meant something extra to Tiger.

"“So, for them to understand what I was doing early in my career,” he said. “The only thing they’ve seen is my struggles and the pain I was going through. Now they just want to go play soccer with me. Man, it’s just such a great feeling.”"

I’m still doubtful that Tiger can catch up to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 career major wins, but considering the strides he’s made in just the last few months, I have to think he’s got at least one more left in him.

It could come next month at Bellerive, or next sprint at Augusta National. Heck, maybe it doesn’t happen until 2021, when a 45-year-old Tiger Woods gets one more crack at St. Andrews, where he’s already won two Open titles.

The way I see it, if Tiger stays healthy and finds a way to get even a little of the old Sunday swagger – the sense that he’s going to step on everyone’s collective throat – back, it’s just a matter of timing and opportunity.