Tiger Woods among notables to miss cut at U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. – That moment comes in each of Tiger Woods’ major starts. It gives a reason to believe that this time is different, that a 48-year-old body that’s been broken down and built back together again still can contend against players half his age who devote their entire lives to the singular pursuit of lower scores.

It may be a launch monitor reading that reveals surprising ball speed, or an early birdie. It doesn’t take much for people to become believers when they’re predisposed for optimism. The desire for Woods to succeed in his rare starts is understandable. But a body of work is building that shows it’s increasingly unlikely.

The game’s simplest act, walking from shot to shot, is hard enough. But the biggest limitation may be the lack of preparation that his body allows. Woods knows he has a limited number of swings remaining, and so he’s storing them for as many majors as possible. Even Friday evening, he confirmed that he has just one more tournament on his calendar this year: The Open at Royal Troon. It reveals the limitations placed upon him by his body.

The man who invented the modern golfer’s maniacal practice regimen has no other option. He can’t afford to prepare like his peers for each major; he has to hope that leaning on experience will be enough to carry him through. Unfortunately, that seems more and more unlikely.

After briefly holding the U.S. Open’s lead Thursday morning, Woods is going home Friday evening. He missed the cut after shooting 74-73, uncertain about his future in the U.S. Open.

“I hit a lot of good shots that just didn't quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple bad spots with some bad lag putts,” Woods said about Friday’s round. “But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”

His performance continues an ignominious stretch for Woods since his return from his February 2021 car accident in Southern California.

In seven majors since his return, his best finish is 47th. That came in his first tournament back, the 2022 Masters. He also has three missed cuts and two WDs. This year’s Masters, where he finished last among the players who made the cut, is the only other one where he has completed 72 holes.

Perhaps focusing on results is to miss the point, but that is still the standard by which the man judges himself.

“I can't win the tournament from where I'm at, so it certainly is frustrating,” Woods said. “I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn't work out.”

Woods said he continues to get stronger, though it remains a mystery what each day will hold. He averaged 314 yards off the tee at Pinehurst, three more than the field average, and hit 75% of his fairways. He ranked 47th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, his best ranking in any of the Strokes Gained metrics.

But Woods also hit little more than half his greens (19 of 36) and lost a nearly a full stroke on the greens. Paradoxically, it is the putting – not the more physically-demanding full shots – that perplexes Woods. Things started well for him this week: He birdied his first hole, the par-5 10th, and was 1-under through six holes, good enough to briefly share the early lead. He made just two birdies over the next 30 holes, however.

He needed 62 putts over two rounds and missed six putts inside 10 feet.

Woods is no longer exempt for the U.S. Open. While the other three majors offer their champions exemptions that either last a lifetime or well into senior citizenry, the U.S. Open only grants its winners a 10-year pass from qualifying. His five-year exemption for winning the 2019 Masters expired last year. He played Pinehurst on a special exemption that coincided with him being awarded the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award.

While not exempt for future U.S. Opens, there’s little doubt that he would receive unlimited exemptions. Both his playing record and his continued status as the game’s most famous player guarantee it. Woods said “it may or may not be” his last U.S. Open.

While Woods is the biggest name to miss the cut this week, he’s not the only well-known player who will head home early.

Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Justin Rose, Nick Dunlap and Robert MacIntyre are among the names who finished the first two rounds at 6-over par and missed the cut by one, as did star amateurs Ben James and Jackson Buchanan. Jason Day, Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson all finished 8-over. Gordon Sargent, the low amateur at last year’s U.S. Open, shot 11-over par, as did Justin Thomas and Jake Knapp.