Sports

WATCH: Tiger Woods’ back injury at The Barclays may be a bad sign for his career outlook

Tiger Woods had just taken one of his patented violent swings with a fairway wood trying to reach the par-5 13th green in two while charging up The Barclays final-round leaderboard yesterday, when he suddenly crumpled to the fairway on all fours, writhing in pain.

The sight of Woods on his hands and knees looking like a thoroughbred having fallen lame on the track during a race was jarring.

Woods has been — and still is — the greatest golfer of our generation. And when you see a scene like that, you cannot help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end of his stronghold on the game.

Years ago — in the pre-public-distraction era for Woods — during a Masters press conference at Augusta, Jack Nicklaus was answering questions about whether he thought Woods would break his record of 18 major championships. Nicklaus delivered a most prescient observation that day when he pointed out Woods — at the time — had not yet been married, had kids or endured any injuries.

As Woods’ life has unfolded — and at times unraveled — very publicly before our eyes, those things Nicklaus mentioned indeed have slowed down Woods’ pursuit of his record — particularly the injuries.

Woods’ week in New Jersey began with a bad sleep on a soft hotel mattress on Tuesday night, and ended two tantalizing inches short of getting into a playoff yesterday in The Barclays, where his 25-foot birdie putt from the back fringe on No. 18 stopped short of disappearing into the hole and catapulting Woods into a playoff with eventual winner Adam Scott.

Woods, who began the day four shots out of the lead, worked his way up the leaderboard with a 3-under par front nine. His day looked as if it were over on 13 when he hurt his back while yanking his approach shot some 80 yards left of the green into a swamp.

Woods looked at that moment like he might have to withdraw.

“He came close to shutting it down,’’ Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, told The Post. “But he has a high tolerance for pain. He’s never going to walk off the golf course. If he can stand up, he’s going to play.’’

LaCava said when Woods fell to the ground, he wondered if Woods would play on and he said, “How you feeling, Hoss?’’

“I’ve been better,’’ Woods told LaCava.

Woods’ performance, even without winning, was something to behold because of the way he grinded. No player in the game grinds like Woods; it is his most impressive attribute as a golfer.

When he bogeyed 13 after wrenching his back, Woods was two shots off the lead at 9-under. A bogey on 15 left him three back at 8-under-par with Scott having just gotten into the house at 11-under. But Woods responded with birdies on 16 and 17 to set a magnificent stage on 18, where he would need birdie to force a playoff with Scott.

With the huge crowd around the 18th green buzzing with anticipation, Woods piped his tee shot 296 yards to the center of the fairway, leaving himself with 191 to the flag. He hit 8-iron to that back fringe, 25 feet away from sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The putt was tracking straight to the hole and it stopped dead, two inches short. The pain in Woods’ face when that ball failed to rotate one more time into the hole made the pain on his face at No. 14 look tame.

“I thought I poured it in,’’ Woods said later.

What now for Woods, scheduled to play in this week’s Deutsche Bank, the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs?

“That’s all hypothetical right now; I just got off [the course] and I’m not feeling my best right now,’’ Woods said when asked about whether he’ll play this week.

“I didn’t even ask him,’’ LaCava said. “I don’t know if he’s going to come right back or not. I think he knows he’s got to get better. He can’t play like this.’’

Ironically, LaCava is adept in dealing with players with back ailments, having caddied for Fred Couples, famous for his chronic back problems throughout his career.

“I’ve seen it with Fred for 21 years,’’ LaCava said. “And this is something kind of similar, unfortunately.’’

With those words from LaCava resonated the prescient words from Nicklaus all those years ago.