He had plenty of chances, but Tiger Woods’ last major championship appearance was cut short once again.
Woods posted a 3-over 73 at the US Open on Friday, dropping him to 7-over this week. That was several shots outside the projected cut line at Pinehurst No. 2.
Woods has now missed the cut or withdrawn from six of the last eight major championships. He hasn’t made it to the US Open since 2019 – which was his only achievement at the event in the past decade. Although he has dealt with seemingly countless injuries and course-related issues in recent years, and he looked physically better on Friday despite the hot afternoon in North Carolina, Woods just can’t seem to find a way to play consistently into the weekend anymore .
“It was probably the highest score I could have gotten today,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in some bad spots with some bad lag putts.”
Woods’ round on Friday wasn’t terrible, especially early on, but he didn’t do nearly enough to make up for his start on Thursday. Woods carded a 4-over 74 while making six bogeys to open the tournament, regularly leaving himself out of position. At one point he made five bogeys during a seven-hole stretch.
“It can go so far here, the other way, the wrong way,” Woods said Thursday. “It’s just so hard to come back. This is a golf course that doesn’t give up a lot of birdies. A lot of bogeys and up.”
After opening with a birdie in his first four holes, Woods narrowly missed some great birdie looks Friday that, while they wouldn’t have put him in contention, could have saved him. He pushed a birdie putt on the 13th, and then had a great birdie opportunity come his way on the 15th – leaving him looking incredibly beaten after taking an early step towards the Cup.
From that point on, Woods fell apart a bit. His drive on the 16th landed far left in the trees, forcing him to recover. There too he missed a twelve-footer for par, meaning he had to settle for his fourth bogey of the day. That took him to 7-over, which sealed the deal and ended Woods’ week.
Woods confirmed after his round that he will play at the British Open next month. But after that, he will ‘come back when I come back’.
“To win a golf tournament, you have to make it. I can’t win the tournament from the position I’m in right now, so it’s definitely frustrating,” Woods said. “I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work.
“As for my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”
Other notables who missed the cut
Former top golfer Dustin Johnson struggled again. He finished at 9-over, thanks in part to a rough opening nine on Friday that included four bogeys and a triple.
Justin Thomas also missed the cut. He opened the week with a 7-over 77, although he managed just seven pars in a first round that was all over the place. He finished at 11-over. Although he finished T8 at the PGA Championship last month, that run was largely a blip. Thomas has missed the cut at five of the last seven majors.
Phil Mickelson played a little better on Friday, but that still wasn’t enough to make up for his rough start to the week. Mickelson posted a 9-over 79 on Thursday and then ended the week at 15-over. Only a handful of golfers finished worse than him in the rankings. Mickelson has now missed the cut at four of the last five major championships. His only finish came at the Masters earlier this year, although he finished T43.
Other notable names who missed the cut include Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben An, Will Zalatoris and Rickie Fowler.
