If you want to play a quick game of I Say/You Say regarding Tiger Woods’ failure to make the cut at the British Open, there aren’t many places to go with it. “Stunning.” “Shocking.” “Honey, my bookie just called with some bad news.” That about covers it.

It seems inexplicable. Tiger is playing on two good knees again. He isn’t in mourning, as he was when he missed the cut in the 2006 U.S. Open shortly after his father’s death. He’s married with two young children — happier, you’d think, than he’s ever been.

And here it gets interesting. Doubly so given Tom Watson’s wake-up-the-echoes effort through three rounds this weekend.

We now take you back to the 1998 U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club. Watson is coming off an unlikely victory at the Colonial. But a legitimate Open threat at 48? That seems a preposterous notion. He hasn’t played consistently good golf in years.

“I was honestly thinking, well, is this maybe my last tournament I am ever going to win on the Tour?” he said, recalling the Colonial. “That’s the reason there was a tear or two. I still believe I can still swing the golf club and hit the ball straight.”

Watson’s career had taken an arc that most young golfers only dream about — from protege, to eight-time major champion, to golf course architect, to one-man corporation. But in the late spring of ’98, what Watson wanted most of all was to once again be that driven young golfer with a dream.

That’s not Tiger, at least not yet. For starters, he’s 15 years younger now than Watson was then. But he has been subjected to the same life experiences that Watson was once upon a time. Not all are conducive to playing golf at an other-worldly level.

Let’s frame it another way. Tiger tied for 19th at the ’98 U.S. Open. The following year, he tied for third. The year after that, he won the event by 15 shots.

You don’t improve that much, that quickly without great heaping gobs of ability. But single-minded ambition, bordering on the fanatical, has to be part of the equation. Remember the commercial where Tiger is hitting golf balls in the rain, afraid that someone, somewhere might be outworking him? Like that.

Tiger was in his mid-20s at the turn of the century, unmarried and with no children. He could afford to be narrowly focused. Yes, he had a hugely profitable business relationship with Nike before he hit his first shot as a pro. But those were simple times.

Whereas a 2006 article on the MSN Money Web site estimated Tiger’s endorsement portfolio to be worth $90 million annually. He is now into golf course design (his company has projects in North Carolina, Mexico and Dubai).

The Tiger Woods Foundation, according to his Web site, benefits millions of children each year. It is funded in part by the AT&T National tournament, which Tiger hosts each July.

Tiger’s is the face of the EA Sports golf game. While it’s difficult to imagine him writing software for the product, you’d figure he must at least take time from his busy schedule to sign off on the cover shot.

Does this mean we’re questioning Tiger’s ability to win four more majors to tie Jack Nicklaus’ career record of 18? Don’t be daft. But it should surprise no one if they wind up being the most difficult four to win.