Amid retirement calls, smiling Tiger Woods says “I’ll be at Portrush” after missing Open cut
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It was another week to forget for Tiger Woods. But while we all speculated that his Friday walk up the packed 18th at Royal Troon could be the last we’d see of him at the Majors, the Big Cat rebuked suggestions that The 152nd Open was his goodbye.
“Definitely,” the 15-time Major champion said when asked if he’d be at Royal Portrush, immediately after signing his card. The smile that spread across his face contrasted the sadness that he (and we) were feeling inside.
Woods has missed three of the four cuts at this year’s Majors. He broke the record for the most consecutive weekends reached at The Masters in April, but rapidly went backwards across the final two rounds to finish DFL. That was as good as his performances in 2024’s big four events got.
He shot rounds of 79-77 in Scotland to be +14 – his worst-ever score through two rounds at the event he has won twice before. His Thursday 79 was his second-highest score at The Open – only the 81 he fired on Saturday at the 2002 championship in horrendous conditions at Royal Liverpool was higher, although arguably not worse. Back then, he bounced back with a Sunday 65 to finish T25, but this time there will be no chance to recover and he heads back to Jupiter to work on his fitness and his game ahead the PNC Championship in November. Woods has played in the event alongside son Charlie for the past four years and that will be the next time we see him swing a club in competitive action. He’ll also tee it up as host in the limited-field Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December.
“No, I’m not going to play until then. I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it. Hopefully just come back for our – what is it, our fifth major, the Father/Son, so looking forward to it,” he said.
Moments of magic
Woods showed moments of his old magic at Troon, but they were few and far between. An early birdie on Thursday took him one-under and had me and the thousands following him hoping we’d all be in for something special. But the 48-year-old’s body and lack of competitive reps quickly caught up with him as he made just two more birdies across his next 33 holes, mixed with 14 bogeys. Despite that, he says he enjoyed the experience.
“I loved it. I’ve always loved playing Major Championships. I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors. Obviously, it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be. I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did. Consequently, my results and scores were pretty high.
“I’ve won two Open Championships here in Scotland, so I’ve always enjoyed playing up here and enjoyed the different types of links that Scotland brings and the challenges.
“I’ve missed playing Troon. It’s been a long time. I remember playing here way back in ’97. I’ve had some good memories here. I just wish I’d done a little bit better.”
An expected result
An early exit should come as no real surprise. In the 13 Majors since his monumental fifth Masters win in 2019, Woods has made five cuts. His best finish? A T21 at the US Open just weeks after that 15th Major success.
His post-round smile defied the pain. It was a smile that used to be reserved for the moments when he holed a decisive shot or lifted the latest in the stream of what seemed, back in his glorious youth, to be limitless trophies. He’s said before that he’ll call it a day when he feels he can no longer begin and, earlier this week, gave a firm “no” when asked if he was getting closer to that belief.
“I’d like to have played more, but I just wanted to make sure that I was able to play the Major Championships this year,” he said at Troon. “I got a lot of time off to get better, to be better physically, which has been the case all year. I’ve gotten better, even though my results really haven’t shown it, but physically I’ve gotten better, which is great. I just need to keep progressing like that and then eventually start playing more competitively and start getting into kind of the competitive flow again.”
Woods will have further chances to play in 2025 with the PGA Tour having created a special exemption – the ‘Tiger Rule’ – which grants him entry to all of the big-money Signature Events. He’s already ruled out playing in those if it means taking another man’s spot, but it seems likely that the field would be extended if he wants to tee it up. Jay Monahan is not going to turn down the revenue that comes with having Tiger in the field for the sake of tweaking some tee times.
Was Monty right?
Earlier in the week, Woods had responded to comments from Colin Montgomerie in which the Scot called for him to retire. “As a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not,” came the barbed reply. Monty’s argument will only have gained weight across the past two days but I’m a firm believer that Woods has earned the right to decide when he walks away, not be pressured into it by others. Only he knows his mind and body. Only he has won the trophies. Only he can decide when his motivation ends. And when it does, golf needs someone to take the baton because he remains the sport’s needle-mover.
Tournaments without Tiger suffer. For all those who complain when the television networks show his every move, or when we in the media print his every word, thousands just want to catch a glimpse of the great man. I walked down the 18th at Troon on Friday and felt the hairs standing up on my neck as playing partners Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele held back to let their fellow American and idol soak up the atmosphere as fans young and old, of all genders and races, stood and gave a reception worthy of the winner on Sunday. I waited for a sign that this might be the end, but it never came. Woods doffed his cap, and then got back to business. He two-putted for par before giving the crowd a wave. But not THE final wave. He smiled through his chat with journalists and then smiled and chatted as he walked back to his car.
I’m unsure why I thought today might be the day. It’s the second time I’ve been lulled in. Two years ago I chatted with Martin Slumbers outside the R&A clubhouse as Woods walked down the sun-soaked 18th at St Andrew on Friday at the 150th Open. Rory McIlroy, the man many felt was Woods’ successor and threat to his records, was heading in the opposite direction in a piece of timing that was evidently planned. Like me, I think Mr Slumbers believed it could be the end. It was the perfect chance for Tiger to pass the mantle to his close friend. To follow in the footsteps of Nicklaus and Watson by standing on the Swilken Bridge, at his favorite course, and waving goodbye.
It didn’t happen then and it didn’t happen now. So, we’ll wait for that moment and, inevitably, we’ll endure more sadness along the way. But the saddest moment will come when the Greatest Of All Time’s winning belief finally dwindles and the wave becomes THE wave.
What are the worst rounds of Tiger Woods’ career?
- 85 – Memorial Tournament (2015), third round
- 82 – Masters (2024), third round
- 82 – Waste Management Phoenix Open (2015), second round
- 81 – British Open (2002), third round
- 80 – U.S. Open (2015), first round
- 80 – Nestle Invitational (1994), first round
About the Author
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge regarding golf balls, rangefinders, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.
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Tiger Woods acknowledges the crowd on the 18th hole at Royal Troon after missing the cut.
