Despite falling short Sunday, Tiger proves he's the best show in golf

During last year's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Tiger Woods was at home in Florida tweeting about his new Oakland Raiders cloth for his pool table.

This year during the Open Championship at Carnoustie, Woods was the solo leader after 10 holes in the final round and hitting absolutely absurd shots from the pot bunkers that set Twitter ablaze.

It's quite obvious then that Tiger's plans in 2018 were significantly more entertaining than last year's.

The 42-year-old legend supplied the most exciting moment of his comeback from spinal fusion surgery to date, igniting the golfing world with a charge to the top of the leaderboard before settling for sixth place at The Open.

A final round that featured names like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose near the top would have been enough to attract some attention to the event, but with Tiger making a charge, engagement was off the charts.

Despite the fact he hasn't won a major since 2008 and has missed most of the past two seasons with injuries, Tiger is still unequivocally golf's heartbeat.

After starting the final round four shots off the pace, Woods was unaffected by windy conditions at a difficult Carnoustie, sliding up the leaderboard with a couple birdies on the front side. By the time he walked off the 10th tee, Woods was the solo leader, prompting a volcanic eruption on Twitter.

The sails seemed to be cut with a drive into a nasty pot bunker just off the 10th fairway, but Woods spun the way-back machine to its maximum and provided an epic moment that was the norm during his reign atop the sport.

With a mighty lash at his Bridgestone, Woods barely cleared the bunker wall from 150-plus yards out, sending his ball soaring into the sky and recoiling his club with authority as if to add a cherry to the top of this throwback sundae.

Tiger was back doing things we could only dream of while the best players in the world wilted in his presence. Clad in his traditional Sunday red, Woods was once again the alpha of the golfing community, and the world rejoiced accordingly.

Sure, he missed the ensuing birdie putt. Yes, he then proceeded to go double-bogey, bogey on his next two holes and fall out of the chase for first, but in the end, that almost didn't matter.

Sunday's excitement reminded us that there's nothing in golf like a major with Tiger in contention, and that is the truest sign that the GOAT is officially back.