Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy walked a different walk to open the PGA Championship

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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy did not walk the same way they did when they were at their peak.

These days, Woods takes tentative steps. He will often hold a club in his right hand as he walks toward the fairway, swinging it like a cane. He doesn't lean on it for support, but it looks like he is using it for reassurance. He has a security blanket in case he takes an awkward step. He understands that it will always be like this, the pain rising and falling to a degree only he understands.

The jaunty bounce and audacity that he used to do are not the same as they used to be. It is the walk of a golfer who is a little older, a bit wiser, but one who has seen his share of disappointment, especially in major championships.

They are both different because of injuries.

If you were paying close attention to the first round of the PGA Championship, you could see the old McIlroy. He made it four in a row when he made the 15th hole. He walked to the 16th tee with his chest leading the way and light on his feet. For a second, it felt like the same thing when McIlroy was the sport's alpha king.

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The golfer is 5 under par at the PGA Championship.

Woods was making a face. Every swing and step felt labored late in his round.

The return of the golfer's swagger was not permanent. He saved par after hitting his drive into the fairway on the 16th hole. He had a pair of bogies on his back nine. It was a beautiful sight to see flashes of it at Southern Hills. His final round at the Masters last month was something of a golf exorcism, and it was his lowest opening round in a major since 2011.

For the first time in a long time, he won't have to climb out of a hole to contend. He didn't spend a lot of time thinking about the nuances of Southern Hills in the lead-up to the championship, he just watched a few flyover videos as a prep and decided to trust his natural talent.

When your game is feeling like that, it is just a matter of sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can, and just sort of staying in your own little world.

When asked if he was happy about getting off to a good start, he had a little fun at the expense of the press conference moderator.

"Yes or no, I would rather shoot 74 and try to make the cut tomorrow."

It is less of a laughing matter for Woods when he shoots 74 and is trying to make the cut. On the 10th, Woods made a layup and on the 14th, he made a layup. At that point, he was just one shot off the lead, and the massive crowd following him was very energetic. Spieth wasn't doing much to contribute to it; his sloppy iron play led to a mediocre 2-over 72.

The conservative strategy of hitting irons off the tees caught up with Woods as he was hit by the two players. He missed the fairway three times and made five bogeys during one stretch. He admitted after the round that he was playing a game his competitors were not familiar with, and that there may not be a place for it in modern golf. Woods admitted that he ought to know better, while also seeming to be nostalgic.

The days of the Lee Janzens and the Scott Simpsons and the Nick Faldos of the world are over, according to Woods. The game is not the same as before. I know that it is more aggressive now.

Woods grimaced on each of his tee shots on the last two holes. It looked like a strained endeavor when he bent down to pick grass from the fairway. He seemed to be older than his 46 years when he tried to crouch down. The optimism Woods had early in the week seems to have faded.

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Woods said he couldn't load it because it hurts. It is just golf. I'm all right if I don't do that.

It was hard to watch Woods limp home and wonder if he should withdraw, keep rehabbing, focus on The Open at St. Andrew, but he seemed to have no such plans.

Lots of treatment, lots of ice baths, and try to get the inflammation out and get ready for Friday's second round.

After narrowly avoiding a double bogey on the 9th green, Woods gingerly made his way to the Southern Hills clubhouse, taking tentative, deliberate strides up the wood stairs. As he blew right by, he decided to bound up the grass hill instead.