‘I didn’t do a whole lot of things right’: Tiger Woods in danger of missing the cut after toiling Open start
Tiger Woods on the 11th hole during the first round of the Open Championship golf at Royal Troon in Scotland. Jack Gruber/USA Today Sports/Reuters CNN —
Tiger Woods faces an uphill battle to make the weekend at the Open Championship after toiling to an eight-over 79 during the first round of the major in Scotland on Thursday.
The 48-year-old made a bright start amid wet and windy conditions at Royal Troon, parring twice before producing one of the shots of the day with a brilliant curling birdie putt from just off the green on the third hole.
Yet except for another birdie at the 13th, it was mostly misery for the 15-time major champion, as six bogeys and two double bogeys wrecked his early momentum.
Woods’ first double came at the par-three fifth after he got into bunker trouble, the second arriving at the 11th “Railway” hole after the American sent his tee drive skewing towards the train tracks running along the right side of the fairway – just as Rory McIlroy had done earlier.
It resigned the three-time Open winner to just his sixth career major round in which he has shot eight over or worse, according to ESPN.
With only the top-70 and ties after Friday’s second round securing passage to the weekend, Woods will require a huge turnaround if he is to avoid missing a third consecutive major cut for the second time in his career.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of things right today,” he told reporters Thursday.
“I didn’t hit my irons very close, and I didn’t give myself a whole lot of looks today. I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow to get something going on the weekend.”
Woods started well before struggling. Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
Woods, who fell short of three consecutive major weekends in 2015, had arrived at Royal Troon adamant that he will play as long as he feels he can still win, shunning former world No. 2 Colin Montgomerie’s suggestion he should consider retiring.
This year marks the first since his 2021 car crash that Woods has competed at all four majors. In February, he had expressed his desire to compete in one tournament a month but – despite “physically feeling a lot better” than at the beginning of the year – has only competed in five official events in 2024.
“I just wish I could have played a little bit more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it,” Woods added Thursday.
“I thought I could play a little bit more earlier in the year. I think I was a little bit too optimistic. I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing like we have.”