Woods in danger of missing cut at British Open
TROON, Scotland (AP) — Hands on his hips, Tiger Woods looked like a commuter whose train was late.
Woods had sent his drive near the ScotRail line that runs along the 11th hole at Royal Troon. It summed up his opening round at the British Open.
The 15-time major champion’s 8-over 79 on Thursday left him in danger of missing the cut for a third straight time at the Open.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of things right today,” he said. “I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow to get something going on the weekend.”
Woods now has 14 consecutive rounds in the majors without breaking par, dating to a 69 in the second round of the 2022 PGA Championship. This was his highest score to start a major since an 80 in the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.
His average score in the majors this year is 75.4.
A 79 was also his highest score in the opening round of a British Open. This is his 23rd appearance, dating back to 1995 at St. Andrews, and he’s won it three times (2000, ‘05 and ’06).
There were flashes early, but mostly disappointment for the 48-year-old Woods and his loyal fans.
Woods got the crowd going when he curled in a 36-foot birdie putt at the par-4 third. Cue fist pumps. Hang on, though. He bogeyed the next hole and double-bogeyed the par-3 fifth — forced to play backward out of a bunker — and he was 2 over.
“I made that putt on the third hole, and then I think I had, what, three 3-putts today,” he said. “I didn’t hit my irons very close, and I didn’t give myself a whole lot of looks today.”