Tiger Woods has yet to make another cut at a major tournament.
Woods is virtually certain to be eliminated from the ongoing Open Championship at Royal Troon after shooting +14 through the first two days of the tournament, where the projected cut line sits at +5.
His dismal Friday included a double bogey on the second hole, as well as bogeys on the fifth, ninth, 12th, 14th and 17th. He finished Friday with a 6+77 after his 8+78 on Thursday. Yet despite his struggles, Woods had a packed gallery and received standing ovations during the first two rounds.
The 48-year-old now intends to take a break of several months from golf and told reporters on Friday at Royal Troon that he will return to the Hero World Challenge in December.
So far this year, Woods has missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky or the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Woods, who continues to battle injuries, had an equally terrible showing at the Masters, finishing 16-plus, which included a dreadful 82 in his third round.
Tiger Woods plays from the third fairway during day two of The Open at Royal Troon
Despite his poor play, Tiger Woods attracted an impressive gallery at Royal Troon
His early exit from Royal Troon comes after a tense exchange with retired player and broadcaster Colin Montgomerie, who questioned the golf legend’s presence at the tournament.
Montgomerie said in an interview with The Times last Saturday that Woods’ best days were behind him. From there, Montgomerie shared his memory of watching Woods struggling at Pinehurst last month and wondering, “What the hell is he doing?”
In response, Woods was defiant (“As a former champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60”) but ultimately failed to prove he belonged at the 2024 Open Championship, starting with a brutal first round on Thursday.
Woods hit his first drive 201 yards from the first tee, finding the first cut of rough on the right side of the fairway.
He came close to an opening birdie, rolling his attempt to two feet for a touch-in par before finally coming into the red at the third.
But the fights, once a surprise but now a regular sight, began on the fourth day.
Royal Troon immediately snatched the shot from Tiger’s grasp at the fourth, where he failed to capitalise on the par-five opportunity before sinking into the black with a double-bogey five at the par-three fifth.
His only two birdies were no match for a total of six bogeys, including two consecutive ones at 17 and 18 to close his round, and two doubles, including a trip onto the train tracks at 11, while an opening 79 plundered his hopes.
Woods hits a shot from the rough on day two of the Open Championship in Scotland
And he was not the only former champion to struggle in the first round: Cameron Smith (+9), Rory McIlroy (+7) and Louis Oosthuizen (+7) were all outclassed at Royal Troon on Thursday.
Woods’ first round was further marred by a comment from Sky Sports’ Mark Roe.
“If you look at their eyes, you have to think they’re taking a lot of painkillers to deal with the pain,” Roe said when announcing The Open’s featured groups on Thursday.
It’s unclear whether Roe was referring to Woods’ battle with painkillers, which resulted in his DUI charge in 2017. A subsequent toxicology report found painkillers, sleep medications and an active ingredient in marijuana in his system at the time of his arrest.
Woods ultimately avoided a DUI conviction by agreeing to enter a diversion program.
Naturally, Roe’s comment was not well received.
“This is totally crazy to say it live,” read one comment from a golf-focused account X.
“I’m not a big Tiger fan, but even if it were true, there are some things that don’t need to be said,” another commentator added.
One fan even went so far as to accuse Roe of attacking Woods because of his controversial relationship with the Saudi-backed PGA rival.
“He’s probably a secret LIV fan,” the fan wrote.
Tiger Woods appears in his mugshot following his arrest for driving under the influence in 2017
Of course, Roe’s primary duties are with Sky Network, which broadcasts the DP World Tour and PGA, so it’s unlikely the English broadcaster is in any way targeting Woods for the Saudis.
Since nearly losing his right leg in a car accident in 2021, Woods has played sparingly, focusing on majors while resting his 48-year-old body during less prestigious tournaments.
Knee surgeries, a fused ankle and a microdiscectomy are just some of the medical procedures that have kept Woods on his feet as he approaches age 50.
Tiger Woods to apply cream to his leg in 2023 after multiple surgeries on the limb
“Some days I feel really good,” he said in April. “Other days, not so much.”
Woods’ injury history began with a pair of procedures aimed at removing a benign tumor, scar tissue, a cyst and fluid from his knee, but quickly escalated as the veteran Nike pitchman began facing structural problems with his bones and joints.
Remarkably, Woods rebounded from his arrest in 2017 and briefly appeared poised to reclaim his throne atop the PGA Tour.
He won the Tour Championship in 2018 and the Masters the following season, all while golf fans marveled at his new form.
But the good times couldn’t last.
In 2021, he underwent a fifth microdiscectomy and a month later was involved in a single-vehicle crash near a tournament in Los Angeles. Woods, the driver and the only person injured in the crash, rolled his SUV before suffering serious leg injuries.
Doctors even considered amputation before finding a way to keep Woods intact.
“I’m very lucky, very lucky,” Woods told a crowd in February 2022. “As a lot of you know, I didn’t know if I was going to have my right leg or not. So to be able to still have my right leg here is huge. I still have a lot of issues with it, but it’s mine and I’m very thankful for that.”
He made his comeback at the 2022 Masters, where he limped noticeably on his way to 47th place.
Woods has since undergone a subtalar fusion procedure to “treat his post-traumatic arthritis” in his fractured ankle.
