Tiger's most memorable Open Championship moments

While Woods made his Open Championship debut in 1995 on the Old Course at St. Andrews (tie for 68th), it was the next year at Royal Lytham & St. Annes when he really left an impression. Tiger was not only the lone amateur to make the cut, but also his four-round score of minus-3 was good enough for a T22 finish. The then-20-year-old turned pro some six weeks later.

Woods actually finished a few spots worse (tie for 24th) at the 1997 tournament at Royal Troon, thanks to a final-round 74. However, it was his 64 in the third round that really turned heads and offered a view into the future of what he was capable of doing. It wasn't long before the Open would be just another event that Woods dominated.  

It was 1998 at Royal Birkdale when Woods earned his first top-10 finish at an Open Championship. He even shared the lead after carding a first-round, 5-under-par 65, but rounds of 73 and 77 followed. Tiger was able to bounce back with a Sunday 66 to finish all alone in third place. It began a string of three straight Open finishes inside the top 10 for Tiger. 

After tying for seventh at the Open in 1999 at Carnoustie, Woods completed his career grand slam at the tender age of 24 — the youngest to accomplish the feat — by winning the tournament the next year at St. Andrews in record fashion for his first Claret Jug. At the time, Woods' 19-under finish was a record for all major championships, and eight strokes better than runners-up Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els. 

Woods' tie for 28th at Muirfield in 2002 was nothing to be ashamed about — even for him —though it ended his quest for a season grand slam. However, his third-round 81 in the blustery conditions at the famed Scottish course is memorable as one of the lowest on-course moments of his career, especially during his prime. In true Tiger form, he rebounded with a 6-under 65 to finish even par for the event. 

Four years had passed between Woods' Open Championship victories, but his second title came at the spot of his first. Tiger did not dominate St. Andrews in 2005 like he did in 2000, but it was nonetheless impressive. Woods went wire-to-wire to finish 14-under par and five shots ahead of second-place Colin Montgomerie. The victory was Woods' 10th of the major variety and completed the grand slam for the second time in his career.

El Tigre proved he can win this tournament in a place other than St. Andrews. With Royal Liverpool as host in 2006, Woods shot 18-under to hold off Chris DiMarco by two strokes to become the first golfer to repeat as Open Championship winner since Tom Watson in 1982 and '83. It might also be the most special victory of Woods' illustrious golf career, since it was the first following the death of his father, Earl Woods.

The emotion that Woods showed after tapping in for victory in 2006 is perhaps more memorable than any of his overzealous, fist-pumping celebrations we've been accustomed to over the years. Still grieving the March 2006 death of father, mentor and best friend, Earl Woods, Tiger was overcome by tears and buried his head into the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams after his final putt. It's one of the most touching moments in golf history.

One of the more memorable moments during Woods' Open Championship tenure came in 2008 at Royal Birkdale, when he sat out the event for the first time since making his debut in 1995. Tiger obviously had a good reason following surgery on a knee that was severely bothering him while pulling out that gritty victory at the U.S. Open a month prior.  

It proved to be a back-to-back of firsts at the Open for Woods in 2009. One year after missing the tournament due to injury, Woods returned to the event at Turnberry. However, his stay in Scotland was not a long one. The world's No. 1 player at the time, Tiger shot a two-round 145 and missed the cut — by one stroke — for the first time at the Open and just the second time at a major as a professional.

After tying for 23rd in 2010 and missing the Open again in '11, Woods rebounded nicely across the pond — beginning in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He started with a pair of 67s, but weekend rounds in the 70s kept Woods from winning his fourth Open Championship title. However, his tie for third was a sign that he might still have plenty left in the major tank.

One of the highlights of Tiger's impressive rebound at the Open in 2012 came on the 18th in the second round. That's when Woods holed out from a green-side bunker to make birdie and put himself in contention for the weekend at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Just another classic shot on Tiger's major resume. 

For as good as Woods' bunker shot at 18 in the second round of the 2012 Open, he was far less successful while carding a triple bogey on the sixth hole — the same one he birdied in each of the first three rounds. At the sixth on Sunday, Woods found a green-side bunker and needed to sit down while swinging just for the chance to get his ball out.

Looking to build on that T3 from a year earlier, Woods again showed some championship-caliber form during the 2013 event at Muirfield. He opened with a 69 and even led early in the third round, but finished with a 72. He closed the tournament with a rather disappointing 74 but overall tied for sixth to post back-to-back, top-10 finishes at the Open for the first time since his consecutive wins in 2005 and '06.

If we're going to talk about some of Tiger's most famous Open Championship moments for the better, then it's only fair to point out some of those on the negative side — like in 2014 at Royal Liverpool when he finished 69th, which, to date, is still his worst placement when making the cut at the event. One year later at St. Andrews, he failed to make the cut. Interestingly enough, both struggles came on the courses where he won the Open.

After two seasons away from the Open Championship and a pair of less-than-stellar finishes in the first two majors of 2018, Woods showed he can still contend at the big events. The three-time Open champ rallied from six shots back in the third round to briefly take the lead on Saturday and also sat atop the leaderboard during Sunday's final round before struggling to close the deal. In the end, he tied for the sixth while announcing his return with authority.  

Woods' performance at the 2018 Open Championship was important for many reasons. One, as mentioned prior, he proved he can be taken seriously in major events — not all of them, but once again he showed he was relevant. It also can be argued that he brought the casual golf fan back to the game. There are plenty of reasons to watch pro golf on a weekly basis, especially considering the young talent out there. But when Tiger is in the hunt, wearing his Sunday red, the sports world will be tuned in. 

While Tiger did not win the Open last year, he did crack the door for a resurgence that many did not believe was possible. He followed his strong run at Royal Birkdale by pushing Brooks Koepka to finish second at the PGA Championship one month later. Of course, Woods' comeback was capped with his emotional victory at the Masters earlier this year. Though he missed the cut at the PGA Championship and was never really in contention at the U.S. Open, we know all eyes will be on him this weekend at Royal Portrush.