On the eighth he smoked his drive down the fairway and on the ninth holed a 20-footer for par. That was it for O'Meara, the fans and the media. But Woods carried on with his caddie, Joe LaCava; just the two of them, playing until it was dark on Amen Corner. Usually, Woods would categorise such isolation in the splendid variety. Maybe not this time. He had clearly enjoyed himself making the supporters enjoy themselves. "I saw some good signs out there today," O'Meara said. "Sometimes when you struggle it makes you better in the long run. The game is better when Tiger is playing."