It was 2:49 pm when Tiger Woods finally reached the first tee on a gray Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday. The rain had slowed to mere specks and the drama of the morning had begun to subside a little.
And it was that hectic morning in which once again fate, and the departure times, played against the 48-year-old player.
A tragic fatal accident outside the Valhalla Golf Club, which claimed the life of a tournament worker, followed by one of the most surreal moments in the history of the sport, the arrest of Scottie Scheffler, meant that tee times were changed. They will delay one hour and 20 minutes.
It ensured that play would not end before the sun set in the second round, and about Woods’ hopes of winning his fifth PGA Championship.
Woods managed to sneak into the clubhouse before the last rays of light faded, but while his quest to make another cut started late, it ended early.
Tiger Woods shot a 6-over 72 in the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday.
He saw the legend finish seven more times in the tournament and miss the cut at the major.
Due to a delayed start at Valhalla Golf Club, the 15-time major winner did not start until 2:49 p.m.
Some of the loudest roars once again went to the Big Cat, but those loyal followers who trudged precariously through the mud in a desperate effort to keep their balance had no front seat to watch another show of Tiger magic. Woods’ quest for the cut effectively ended after just four holes.
Starting the day at one over par, a triple bogey-bogey-triple bogey through the second, third and fourth dealt a crushing blow that knocked him down the leaderboard.
Consecutive birdies on the seventh and eighth were a testament to his tireless effort, but the damage was done and two more shots on the back nine made the unreachable cutting line impossible.
Woods finished with a flourish, as a birdie at age 18 offered a glimpse of the player who put himself on the path to becoming the greatest ever here in Valhalla in 2000. But his scorecard was no reflection of the fish. fat from days gone by. He finished seven over the cut mark – eight shots outside the cut mark and 19 behind leader Xander Schauffele.
But it was a blessing that the elder Woods was put to bed on Friday, rather than prolonging his suffering further.
Will we ever see the big cat on the prowl again? If you ask him, the answer is always yes, but if there are golf gods, he’s not in favor of it.
The universe is always working against you. During his last two major appearances, both at Augusta, Woods has been forced to play more than 18 holes in a day.
And while Valhalla is the setting for a historic chapter in its legend, this recent era of history did not bode well.
Woods made triple bogey-bogey-triple bogey on the second, third and fourth holes
Consecutive birdies on the seventh and eighth were a testament to his relentless effort.
Last month, he was at the top of the slope fighting the wind and the cut mark to complete a historic achievement of 24 consecutive cuts at The Masters. His reward for once again enclosing himself in the legend of the Masters? 82 blows, each one as forceful as the other, to record his worst score on that hallowed ground the next day.
Last year, he also fought for the right to continue pushing his devastated body through the pain barrier for a full 72 holes, playing 25 holes in one day. The reward for his agony that time? The torture of limping heavily in the pouring rain that poured down on Augusta as the bitter cold bit into his leg before being forced to admit defeat.
Each time, making the cut for Woods has become golf’s equivalent of the Odyssey. The weather, departure times, light, injuries, age and even unforeseen events always conspire against you.
It was a harsh reminder that this is not the Tiger Woods who came back to play three more holes to beat Bob May in a playoff at Valhalla in 2000. No, this week’s Tiger at Valhalla is one who has to scrape off the rust. the game of it only to complete 18 holes.
The 15-time Major winner headed to the clubhouse knowing his tournament was over.
So maybe it was a saving grace that he didn’t have to suffer the same fate on Saturday.
His desire and hunger to push his time-ravaged body, misadventures, and relentless pursuit of greatness through the considerable pain in his limbs and joints is nothing short of inspiring.
It’s what separates you from your rivals. It’s what makes him the iron man of golf. And that’s what makes it the greatest.
But while it used to be a story that provoked admiration, it now also provokes a pang of sympathy.