Tiger Woods exits US Open, says it ‘may or may not be’ his last

PINEHURST – Tiger Woods missed the cut at the US Open on June 14 by two shots – then said he did not know if this was his swan song at the Major championship where he has three titles.

The 15-time Major winner posted a three-over 73 in the second round at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, dropping to seven over for his two days on the course. The cut line at the notoriously difficult Major came in at five over, with the top 60 players and ties advancing to the weekend.

Woods, 48, birdied the par-four fourth hole by sinking a downhill putt from more than 16 feet out. He proceeded to bogey the next hole and carded three more bogeys without a birdie the rest of the way.

The American golf great has spoken about playing just a handful of events each season as time goes on and he copes with his aging and surgically-repaired body.

He indicated after he missed the US Open cut that the Open Championship at Royal Troon in July will be his last tournament of 2024.

“I don’t think even if I win the British Open I’ll be in the (FedExCup) play-offs,” Woods said. “Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”

He was then asked how much it hurt to miss the cut, and whether he had considered it could have been his final US Open considering his age and his body condition.

“Well, it’s one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut,” Woods said.

“I can’t win the tournament from where I’m at, so it certainly is frustrating. It just didn’t work out. As far as my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”

Woods played this week on a special exemption. The three-time US Open winner (2000, 2002, 2008) was not going to make the field otherwise, as the USGA’s exemptions for past winners last only 10 years.

One of the most remarkable achievements of his career came at the 2008 edition, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in sudden death after an 18-hole Monday play-off.

Woods’ favourite Major is the Masters, where he has made the cut in a record 24 straight starts – including this season where he finished 60th – and won five Green Jackets.

But he has failed to make the cut at any other Major since the 2022 PGA Championship, where he withdrew after playing three rounds due to plantar fasciitis.

Asked what will be his main takeaway from this trip to Pinehurst, Woods merely called his week “frustrating”.

“I’m not here for the weekend,” he said. “It felt like I was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.” REUTERS