Rory McIlroy Says He Isn't Worried About Tiger Woods After 2018 British Open

After briefly holding the lead in Sunday's final round of the 2018 Open Championship, Tiger Woods put the golf world on notice that this latest comeback is for real.

Rory McIlroy noticed.

"Yeah. I mean, not the Tiger that, you know, Phil [Mickelson] and Ernie [Els] and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version," McIlroy said after his round, per Ian O'Connor of ESPN.com. "But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot."

Woods, 42, finished in a tie for sixth place, three strokes behind winner Francesco Molinari. He had sole possession of the lead early in the back nine, but a double-bogey at No. 11 undid his quest for a 15th major championship.

The sixth-place finish is his best performance in a major championship since the 2013 Open Championship. 

"It didn't feel any different," Woods told reporters after the round. "It didn't feel any different to be next to the lead and knowing what I needed to do. I've done it so many different ways. It felt great to be part of the mix and build my way into the championship. Today was a day I had a great opportunity."

Woods has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open. He's had stretches of massive personal and professional strife since, including a divorce, an arrest for DUI and a four-year stretch when he made just two cuts in major tournaments.

McIlroy, part of the group of young players who have picked up the sport in Woods' absence from the leaderboard, finished in a tie for second place at six under.