“Maybe it was his last US Open, maybe not” after missing the cut (video)
He had many chances, but Tiger Woods’ recent appearance at a major championship tournament ended prematurely again.
Woods shot 3-over-par 73 on Friday at the U.S. Open, dropping him to 7-over-par this week and several strokes outside the projected cut line at Pinehurst No. 2.
Woods has now either missed the cut or withdrawn from six of the last eight major tournaments. He hasn’t made the cut at the US Open since 2019 – his only cut at the event in the last decade. Despite seemingly battling countless injuries and off-course issues in recent years and looking 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.
“That was probably the highest score I could have had today,” Woods said. “I made a lot of good shots that just didn’t go in my favor, or I made good putts and then I put myself in some bad situations with some bad lag putts.”
Woods’ round on Friday wasn’t bad, especially early on, but he didn’t come close to making up for his start on Thursday. Woods shot a 4-over-par 74, making six bogeys early in the tournament and frequently getting out of position. At one point he made five bogeys during a seven-hole stretch.
“It can go so far the other way, the wrong way, here,” Woods said Thursday. “It’s just so hard to get back. This is a golf course that doesn’t allow a lot of birdies. It allows a lot of bogeys and above.”
After starting with birdies on his first four holes, Woods missed several great birdie opportunities down the home stretch on Friday that wouldn’t have put him in contention but could have saved him. He made a birdie putt on the 13th hole and then missed a great birdie opportunity on the 15th – making him look incredibly defeated after taking an early step toward the Cup.
From there, Woods kind of fell apart. His drive on the 16th went way left into the trees, leaving him with a tough recovery. Again, he missed a 12-foot putt for par, leaving him with his fourth bogey of the day, dropping him to 7 over par and ending Woods’ week.
Woods confirmed after his round that he will play in the British Open next month, but after that he will “come back whenever I come back.”
“To win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can’t win the tournament from where I am right now, so it’s obviously frustrating,” Woods said. “I thought I played well enough to be up there. But it just didn’t work out.”
“As for my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”
Other celebrities who missed the cut
Former top golfer Dustin Johnson struggled again, finishing 9 over par, in part due to a tough first nine holes on Friday that included four bogeys and a triple.
Justin Thomas also missed the cut. He began the week with a 77 (seven over par), but managed just seven pars in a mixed first round. He finished 11 over par. Although he finished eighth at the PGA Championship last month, that run was more of an outlier. Thomas has missed the cut in five of the last seven majors.
Phil Mickelson played a little better on Friday, but it still wasn’t enough to make up for his rocky start to the week. Mickelson shot 9 over par and 79 on Thursday and finished the week 15 over par. Only a handful of golfers finished worse than him on the leaderboard. Mickelson has now missed the cut in four of the last five major championships, with his only finish coming at the Masters earlier this year, but he finished T43.
Other notable names who didn’t make the cut include Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben An, Will Zalatoris and Rickie Fowler.
