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Woods’ new life as a loser

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods came to the Masters hoping to return some semblance of normalcy to his shattered life.

He ended his four-month self-imposed exile hoping to turn all the negative attention toward his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record for most major championships and not his pursuit of every skirt that graces his presence.

A win yesterday at the Masters could have gone a long way toward accomplishing that.

But Woods, despite pushing himself into contention for a fifth green jacket as he made the turn in yesterday’s final round at 9 under par, was unable to summon the magic that has produced 14 major championships.

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At the end of one of the most memorable Masters days ever at Augusta National, the contrast between him and yesterday’s winner, Phil Mickelson, was so stark it was almost blinding.

There was Mickelson being greeted at the 18th green by his three kids and his wife, Amy, who has been battling breast cancer. Woods walked off the same green without his betrayed wife and two children.

Woods looked and sounded irritable.

“Yeah, I finished fourth, but not what I wanted,” Woods said.

Perhaps the best thing to happen to Woods this week was that porn star Jocelyn James, one of his most notable mistresses, opted not to come to the Masters as she had been threatening to do.

The closest James, who has been publicly pining for an apology from Woods, came to Augusta was Atlanta, where she danced at a strip club earlier in the week.

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While Woods was at Augusta this past week, however, news of his affair with the 21-year-old daughter of one of his neighbors broke — proving that it will probably never be only about golf for Woods for the rest of his life.

Woods began the week conducting his first question-and-answer press conference since the scandal broke. He revealed little, but did vow to tone down his sometimes-ornery act on the golf course.

Yet Woods was heard cursing and seen tossing his clubs here this week, a sign that he hasn’t really changed that much.

Yesterday, while struggling right off the first tee with a snap hook into the trees, Woods again showed his frustration.

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When asked about his behavioral issues yesterday, Woods bristled.

“I think people are making way too much of a big deal of this thing,” Woods said.

Most golf insiders believe Woods will next play at the Quail Hollow Championship the week of April 26.

All indications have been that he’s trying to resume his life — and that includes playing golf, which seems to be the only thing he has at the moment.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com