By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer

Normal service was resumed by Tiger Woods this morning when he took a bite out of Muirfield with a final six-under-par round of 65 in the Open.

Then the world's best golfer headed home to Florida for a spot of fishing and some welcome sunshine after his Grand Slam hopes were blown away by Saturday's howling storm.

But though the memory of the worst score of his professional career, a third round 81, was still fresh in his memory he refused to admit that this was the major that he had let get away.

Instead he insisted that winning the first two majors of the season, the US Open and the US Masters, had already made it "a great year".

"Sometimes the media and everybody tend to lose perspective on how difficult it is to win a major championship," said Woods. "Any time you can win one major in a year it's going to be a successful year."

It was a valiant effort to put a brave face on what must have been a devastating experience for the golfer acclaimed by many as the greatest of all-time.

At least Woods faced the adversity of starting 11 shots behind the lead in the unaccustomed position of six over with the style we have come to expect from a champion.

His round today, full of smiling bonhomie and superlative golf, was in stark contrast to the sulky offering of Colin Montgomerie, who raced around Muirfield in a little over two-and-a-half hours for a four-over 75, giving the impression he could not get out of the place fast enough.

Woods, however, must have wondered quite where he was when he arrived at his tee-off slot at 8.30am - an hour absurdly early on the final day of a tournament for the eight-times major champion.

When he dropped a shot on the 378-yard par four third it seemed it might be one of those days just to go through the motions. Woods, though, is made of sterner, prouder stock.

Birdies on five and six were followed by a spectacular eagle at the ninth and thoughts of what-might-have-been filled the Muirfield air.

Three more birdies on the homeward nine as the putts which had eluded him on the first three days finally began to drop saw him get within one shot of the course record 64 set by Montgomerie on Friday.

He even harboured notions of an unlikely victory if he could have birdied the last four holes, though in the end he managed only one at the 15th before being forced to wait for pal and neighbour Mark O'Meara to finish before leaving for his private jet and a seven-hour flight across the Atlantic.

Before he left, however, he reflected on the day which had wrecked his chances of golf's first calendar year Grand Slam.

"Today I just said go out there and play the way you have been playing," said Woods. "I have played well all week. Just yesterday was a brutal day. It fell right out the window. Just one of those freak days. All of us who had to play in the toughest conditions got off to bad starts.

"The goal today was to get back to even par. Yesterday you just throw away. It blew and rained so hard. I battled as hard as I could. Thank God I did. I grinded my way around there and I shot 81, that was the best score I could have shot. I tried my heart out yesterday. If I had bagged it I don't know what I would have shot."

Woods admitted he had yearned for more difficult conditions today but arrived at the course with Muirfield almost as gentle as it had been on the first two flat-calm days.

"My goal today was to try to get even par or under par. If I could do that it was a successful tournament and it certainly was," said Woods.

"I would certainly have liked to have been in contention after shooting a 65. That would have been even better, but that's the way it goes.

"If the conditions could have been a little more difficult maybe I could have had a chance but realistically I was too far back. Too many guys between myself and the lead.

"For me it was important to go out there and play like I did the first two days. Just hit the ball well, think well and putt well. The only difference today was that the putts went in versus the first two days when they weren't falling.

"I didn't think it was over till those guys were finished on 18. Even today I might have had a chance if I had birdied the last four holes."

Then Woods left, insisting his humiliating Saturday had not affected his affection for golf's most prestigious tournament.

"It is the oldest championship in our sport, one that all the players respect and admire," said Woods. "It is always fun to come out here and play.

"All the way round the fans were extremely respectful, gracious to all the players this week. These are the most knowledgeable fans in the world and they have proven that again this week."