2024 U.S. Open: Tiger Woods laments missed cut believing he played better than score suggests at Pinehurst

Tiger Woods’ first US Open match since 2020 ended on Friday afternoon with a missed cut. A three-time champion in this event followed his first 74 with a second round 73 to finish well outside the cut line at 7 over. And outside of a few holes early in his first round, Woods never seemed to be in the tournament.

There was some optimism surrounding Tiger’s ability to be competitive at Pinehurst No. 2, given that the warm weather and relatively flat course would likely help him avoid being physically limited on the course, which is what has most marked his play in the past. Although Woods’ hitting seemed mostly controlled throughout his 36 holes, there simply weren’t enough low scores, especially late in the round.

“It was probably the highest score I could have gotten today,” a frustrated Woods said after the round. “I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t go my way, or I hit good shots and then got myself into some bad situations with some bad shots. But again, like I said, it was probably the highest score I could have gotten today.”

Woods started his round with some highlights that suggested he was capable of improving his 4-over position on the leaderboard after Thursday, starting with a great par save on the 2nd hole, which was one of the toughest on the course. on Friday.

He then put the Pinehurst gallery back on its feet just a few holes later, finishing the long par-4 4th with a birdie putt.

Starting strong was the theme in each of Woods’ rounds, but so was the inability to match that success on the second nine. Woods had four bogeys on the front nine on Thursday when he started on the 10th hole, then two bogeys and no birdies on the back nine on Friday when he started at No. 1. In both cases, his first sets were better , and he was plagued by mistakes or missed opportunities as he got deeper into his rounds.

“It’s frustrating. I’m not here on the weekend,” Woods said. “Granted, my ball swing and [I] I felt like my shot was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.”

Although Woods has nine USGA championships to his name – three US Opens, three US Amateurs and three US Junior Amateurs – this particular major was not a place where he found success in the later stages of his career. This year’s edition at Pinehurst No. 2 was just Tiger’s fifth US Open start since 2014, and the results of those starts are four missed cuts and a T21 in 2019, which was played at Pebble Beach (where he previously won). the same year he won the Masters, his last major championship.

Tiger’s eligibility for the field in 2024 actually came as a result of a special exemption. The US Open offers automatic exemptions to the last 10 US Open champions and the last five Masters winners.

So how will Woods treat his US Open future? He seemed confused about whether he would continue playing the event when asked after the round. He noted that he has “one more event this season” and then “will come back whenever I come back.”

“As far as my last Open or U.S. Open, I don’t know what it is,” Woods said. “It may or may not be.”

While Tiger may be seething with frustration over missed opportunities at the moment, it seems unlikely he will completely close the door on playing future US Opens – especially with Oakmont, Shinnecock Hills, Pebble Beach and Winged Foot emerging as options over the next four years.

Jack Nicklaus received more than a handful of special exemptions near the end of his playing career, and the tone of the USGA heading into this week’s championship certainly suggests Tiger is held in similar esteem.

“The history of the US Open could not be written without Tiger Woods,” USGA championship director John Bodenhamer said when Woods’ special exemption was confirmed. “From his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 to his inspiring victory over a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008, this championship is simply better when Tiger is on the field, and his achievements in the game undoubtedly made this an easy decision for our special exemption committee.”

The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the course where he was runner-up to Michael Campbell in 2005 and finished T3 in 1999, seemed like an opportunity for Woods to regain a glimpse of glory here in the final stages of his career. He is a fierce competitor who says he wants the chance to fight whenever he is ready for a tournament, but there is a question as to whether he needs to play more tournaments to get his game in a position to reach the desired contention point. .

Those questions are for later, though. What remains now is Tiger’s frustration at not playing better in a special tournament at a special place where he felt his game was better than what was written on the scoreboard.