Tiger Woods will not be participating in the weekend rounds at the 2024 Open Championship. After a disappointing 8-over 79 on Thursday, the 48-year-old could not recover on Friday, finishing with a 77. This performance leaves Woods out of contention, marking yet another early exit from a major tournament.
Since 2014, Woods has only made the weekend cut at a major once, at the 2018 Open at Carnoustie, where he finished tied for 6th. His 14-over total of 156 strokes ties his worst 36-hole performance in a major, matching the 2015 U.S. Open. Despite making the cut at the Masters earlier this year, Woods' performances at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open also resulted in missed cuts.
Reflecting on his performance, Woods said, "I'd like to have played more, but I just wanted to make sure I was able to play the major championships this year. I've had a lot of time off to get better physically, and although my results haven't shown it, I've improved. I just need to keep progressing and eventually start playing more competitively."
Starting the second round needing a score in the 60s to make the cut, Woods began with a double bogey on his second hole. Another bogey on the fifth hole followed, though he managed a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole – his third and final birdie of the tournament. Additional bogeys throughout the round saw Woods drop further down the leaderboard.
By the end of his round on Friday, Woods' name was above just four others on the leaderboard. His performance in this major, along with his struggles throughout the year, raises questions about his future in competitive golf. Woods has announced that he will not compete again until the Hero World Challenge.
"I'm not going to play until then," Woods stated. "I'm going to keep getting physically better and keep working on it. Hopefully, I can come back for our fifth major, the Father/Son, so I'm looking forward to it."