Tiger again misses U.S. Open cut after 3-over 73

PINEHURST, N.C. — As 15-time major champion Tiger Woods watched his putt roll down the green on the 15th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday, he took a half-step off the fringe, anticipating that his ball was about to fall in the cup.

Instead, Woods suddenly stopped and stared in disbelief as his ball lipped out, denying him a birdie he desperately needed to make the cut in the 124th U.S. Open.

“Yeah, 15 hurt,” Woods said after the round. “That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good on the last three holes. Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes.”

With the projected 36-hole cut at 5 over, and Woods sitting at 6 over, he had to make a birdie on the final three holes to stick around for the weekend.

The three-time U.S. Open winner hit a great approach after pulling his tee shot into pine straw on No. 16, but his ball didn’t hold the green. He didn’t hit a putt back up the green hard enough and made a bogey. Then Woods nearly holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker on No. 17 but settled for par on the last two holes.

Woods, 48, carded a 3-over 73 in the second round and was 7-over 147 after 36 holes. He missed the cut by 2 strokes.

“Well, it was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,” Woods said. “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. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”

Woods has missed the cut four times in his past five starts in the U.S. Open; he last made the cut when he tied for 21st at Pebble Beach in 2019. He had missed only one cut in his first 16 starts in the tournament as a pro.

It was his 13th consecutive round of par or worse in a major, the longest streak of his career. He missed the cut or withdrew in five of his past six starts in majors.

“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. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work out.”

Woods, who received a special exemption from the USGA to play in the tournament, was asked if this could be his last U.S. Open.

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

Making just his fourth PGA Tour start this season, Woods looked stronger and played better than he did in last month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Woods hit 21 of 28 fairways and averaged 314.2 yards off the tee in two rounds at the U.S. Open. Woods struggled with accuracy on his iron shots, which is a prerequisite for contending at Pinehurst No. 2, and he needed 62 putts in two rounds.

Asked after Friday’s round if his plan would continue to be not to play in tournaments in preparation for the four majors, Woods didn’t seem ready to budge. He plans to play in The Open at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland on July 18-21 and won’t appear in an official PGA Tour event again this season.

“I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” Woods said. “Even if I win the British Open, I don’t think I’ll be in the [FedEx Cup] playoffs. Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”