Tiger Woods spent months thinking about The Open at St. Andrews. He did everything he could to make sure he made it to the Old Course for the 150th playing of golf’s oldest major championship.
And once he got to Scotland, he did everything he could to make a solid run. He put in more on-site practice than he did for the other two majors he played – the Masters and the PGA Championship. He then skipped the U.S. Open just to be sure he was ready for The Open.
His game, though, never responded when it counted. Woods followed his opening-round 78 with a 3-over 75 to miss the cut.
Here is how his second round went down:
No. 1: Par 4, 375 yards
The first hole at St. Andrews is much easier when the opening tee shot doesn’t land in a fresh divot. Woods’ tee ball on Thursday found a divot, his second went in the burn and he walked off a dreadful double-bogey. No divot on Friday, and things went much smoother. A safe approach to the green and better speed with the putter led to an uneventful par.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 2: Par 4, 452 yards
Woods, walking with his hands in his pockets and shoulders tense, appears to be cold on a chilly morning in Scotland. Early in his round, though, his swing seems free. A solid drive and a controlled iron approach gave him a good chance at birdie. But the 20-footer lipped out. Some of those — a lot of those — are going to have to go in if Woods is to make the cut.
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 3: Par 4, 398 yards
Although he had just 101 yards in for his second shot, Woods was not messing around with a front-left, tucked pin at third. He played away from the hole and faced a 25-footer for birdie. The putter, which caused him all kinds of problems on Thursday, is working so far on Friday. He made the putt to get into red numbers for the day.
Tiger has finally got one to drop⛳️#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/4PyYIo7Ovs
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
Score: Birdie
Total for the day: 1 under
Total for the tournament: 5 over
No. 4: Par 4, 480 yards
Woods hated his second shot. How do we know? Well, he slammed his club into the ground while the approach was still in the air. It would not be the last time he was upset on the hole. A solid putt from off green left him with a little 3-footer for par. He missed it.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 5: Par 5, 570 yards
Woods hit a towering 3-wood into the green. The ball settled about 6 feet from the pin. One problem: It was the wrong pin. The fifth is one of the double greens on the Old Course. It is shared with the 13th. So Woods’ ball bounded onto the green and just kept going. When it finally stopped, it was 7 feet from the 13th hole but 117 feet from the fifth. The ridiculously long eagle putt came up 10 feet short. The more manageable birdie just missed on the left side.
Only at St Andrews… #The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/F5Jl1X4hrS
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2022
Score: Par
Total for the day: Even
Total for the tournament: 6 over
No. 6: Par 4, 414 yards
Woods has moved around well on his surgically repaired right leg during his time in Scotland. But a grimace and the most pronounced limp of the week came after his wayward tee shot ended up in one of the many fairway bunkers. He had no chance to reach the green and simply pitched out. By the time it was all over, he put another bogey on the scorecard.
Score: Bogey
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 7: Par 4, 371 yards
Woods got rid of the jacket, with the spitting rain subsiding after a dreary early morning. His game, though, did not brighten. He had just 97 yards left for his second shot but hit the wedge on the wrong side of the slope to leave a longer-than-he-wanted birdie putt.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 8: Par 3, 187 yards
For perhaps the first time all round, Woods played a routine, boring hole. He found the middle of the green. Narrowly missed a 30-footer for birdie. A ho-hum par.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 9: Par 4, 352 yards
There was a lot of standing around on the tee as play backed up. Woods’ drive settled just short and right of the green. Then the problem that has plagued him over the first 27 holes of this major championship appeared again. Woods has had trouble judging the speed when he has putted or played pitch shots from around the green. His effort at the ninth came up woefully short. Instead of a makeable birdie putt, he had another 25-footer — which he missed.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 10: Par 4, 386 yards
Woods started what will likely be his last nine holes of competitive golf for a while with a routine par. Fairway hit. Center of green. Drama-free two-putt.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 11: Par 3, 174 yards
Woods had been cautious with approach shots for most of his second round. He seemed content aiming for the center of the green. Well, he went flag-hunting at the 11th. But the tee shot fell short and tumbled into the big pot bunker. Woods, though, blasted it out to 12 feet and made the putt for an improbable par.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 13: Par 4, 465 yards
Woods just cannot figure out the green speeds. His second shot into the green took a huge bounce, leaving him with a 40-footer for birdie. Once again, he left the putt way, way short. He made the 6-footer for par, but it was, again, a lot more work than it needed to be.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 14: Par 5, 614 yards
Normally, Woods would have probably felt good about a 370-yard drive, even if it ended up in the hay next to the fairway. That is, until he compared it to what he did the day before, when he pummeled one 412 yards. On Friday, his second shot found another of St. Andrews’ famous bunkers. He turned that 412-yard drive on Thursday into a birdie. He could not do the same with the 370-yard blast on Friday.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 15: Par 4, 455 yards
Another hole, another long birdie putt. This one came after Woods skipped a short wedge approach well past the hole. He almost holed the 77-footer, but it came up a roll or two short.
Score: Par
Total for the day: 1 over
Total for the tournament: 7 over
No. 16: Par 4, 418 yards
The good news? Woods’ mishit iron into the 16th green missed the green, but didn’t go in a bunker. The bad news? His chip shot did. A blast out and another missed led to an ugly double.
Score: Double bogey
Total for the day: 3 over
Total for the tournament: 9 over
No. 18: Par 4, 356 yards
No one, except perhaps Tiger Woods, knows whether this was his last trip around St. Andrews. But Woods soaked in the walk across Swilcan Bridge and up the final fairway. He wiped away tears as he tipped his cap and waved to the adoring crowd lining the Old Course. And he gave them something to cheer about with a perfect little, only-on-links-golf chip with a 4-iron to short range. But, in keeping with how his week went, he missed the birdie putt.
All the feels watching Tiger Woods walking up No. 18 at St. Andrews 👏
(via @TheOpen) pic.twitter.com/F7f5leoamn
— ESPN (@espn) July 15, 2022
Score: Par
Total for the day: 3-over 75
Total for the tournament: 9 over