He’s had plenty of opportunities, but Tiger Woods’ final major championship appearance is over again.
Woods posted a 3-over 73 on Friday at the U.S. Open, dropping him to 7-over this week. That was several shots outside the expected cut line on Pinehurst No. 2.
Woods has now missed the cut or withdrawn from six of the last eight major championships. He hasn’t made the cut at the US Open since 2019 — which was his only cut at the event in the past decade. Although he has battled countless injuries and off-track issues in recent years, and looked physically better on Friday despite a hot afternoon in North Carolina, Woods just can’t seem to find a way to play consistently on the weekend. anymore.
“That was probably the highest score I could have gotten today,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of good shots that didn’t go my way, or I hit good shots, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some late shots.”
Woods’ round on Friday wasn’t terrible, especially early, but he didn’t do enough to make up for his start on Thursday. Woods had a 4-over 74 while making six bogeys to open the tournament while often leaving himself out of position. At one point, he made five bogeys during a seven-hole stretch.
“It could go too far the other way here, the wrong way. It’s very difficult to come back. This is a golf course that doesn’t give up a lot of birdies. It gives up a whole lot of birdies,” Woods said Thursday. Lots of demons and higher.”
After opening with a birdie on his first four holes, Woods narrowly missed several great birdie looks down the stretch on Friday that, while they wouldn’t have put him in contention, could have saved him. He pushed a birdie putt on the 13th, then had a great shot on the 15th — making him look incredibly beaten after taking a step toward the cup early.
From there, Woods kind of fell apart. His drive on the 16th landed well in the trees, leaving him scrambling to recover. He missed a 12-footer on par there as well, forcing him to settle for his fourth bogey of the day. That dropped him to 7 over, sealing the deal and ending Woods’ week.
Woods confirmed after his round that he will play in the British Open next month. After that, though, he’ll “come back when I get back.”
“To win a golf tournament, you have to get to the level,” Woods said. “I can’t win a tournament where I am, so it’s definitely frustrating.” “I thought I played well enough to be in contention. But it didn’t work out.
“As far as my last Open or US Open, I don’t know what it is. It may or may not be.”
Other notables who missed the cut
Former golfer Dustin Johnson has struggled again. He finished ninth, thanks in part to a rough opening ninth on Friday that included four bogeys and a triple.
Justin Thomas missed the cut as well. He opened the week with a 7-over 77, although he managed just seven putts in a first round that was all over the place. He finished the race at 11 years old. While he finished T8 at the PGA Championship last month, this race was largely bizarre. Thomas has missed five of the last seven majors.
Phil Mickelson played a little better on Friday, but it wasn’t enough to make up for his rough start to the week. Mickelson had a 9-over 79 on Thursday, then finished the week at 15-over. Only a few golfers finished worse than he did on the leaderboard. Mickelson has now missed four of the last five major tournaments. His only finish at the Masters came earlier this year, though, with a T43 finish.
Other notable names who missed the cut include Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben Ann, Will Zalatoris, and Rickie Fowler.
