Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is heading into Saturday morning's second round of The Open knowing it may be the final time he plays the iconic St Andrews.

I think that’s important to do,” said the 33-year-old, who will not tee off until mid-afternoon on Friday. Only seven in the field shot a worse score than Woods in the first round, leaving one of the game’s all-time greats down in 146th and needing a drastic turnaround in his second round to extend his tournament into the weekend. In a sad end to a marathon day where he was in the final playing group, Woods walked to the 18th green with only a small group of fans cheering on. His round of 78 is his equal worst ever round at the The Open in 22 starts. Woods endured a miserable return to the British Open as the three-time champion laboured to a six-over-par 78 to leave his chances of making the cut looking slim. Tiger Woods has suffered a humiliating start to The Open and suddenly he could be walking off the course for the final time.

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 ...

Woods got rid of the jacket, with the spitting rain subsiding after a dreary early morning. He had no chance to reach the green and simply pitched out. When it finally stopped, it was 7 feet from the 13th hole but 117 feet from the fifth. The ball settled about 6 feet from the pin. 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. Although he had just 101 yards in for his second shot, Woods was not messing around with a front-left, tucked pin at third. Total for the tournament: 6 over 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. Time off after he had to withdraw from the PGA Championship and skip the U.S. Open. But he's here. The first hole at St. Andrews is much easier when the opening tee shot doesn't land in a fresh divot. Total for the tournament: 6 over

The Sporting News followed Tiger as he made his way through the legendary Old Course at St. Andrews. Here are the results and highlights from his round.

4 (4) 4 over 5 over 10 (4) 4 over 6 (4) 14 (5) 3 (4) 4 over 2 (4) 3 over 2 over

His score would indicate as much. Woods began his round by hitting out of a divot into the Swilcan Burn for a double bogey. He ended it by taking three putts ...

And I am," he said. It gets that way at St Andrews when the ground is crispy and the Open comes to the grey, old town. The Open probably won't return to St Andrews for another five years, and the 46-year-old Woods can't help but wonder if he'll be playing at a high level by then. "Xander and I talked about it. He has had one of the better rookie seasons on the PGA Tour, and the 25-year-old New Yorker is not the least bit daunted by the stage. "It's the way the golf course is set up. Young played smartly and took advantage of the birdie chances. "It's the fiddliest Open that I've played. "OK, the 18th at Carnoustie was like a runway, that fairway. Young and McIlroy didn't have to contend with as much wind in the morning, though St Andrews has seen far stronger gusts over its centuries of golf. Woods began his round by hitting out of a divot into the Swilcan Burn for a double bogey. He ended it by taking three putts through the Valley of Sin for a par and a 78, his second-worst score in his Open career.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is three back at 8-under-par after shooting his second straight 68 on Friday. And Australian Adam Scott, the Masters champion ...

The 25-year-old Young had never even made a cut at a major until he finished third in May’s PGA Championship. He trails Smith by four shots at the moment, while first-round leader Cameron Young is two back. Dustin Johnson, one of the more high-profile players to resign his PGA membership and join the breakaway LIV Golf tour, had earlier rocketed into first with a 5-under-par 67.

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 ...

The bad news? The good news? He almost holed the 77-footer, but it came up a roll or two short. This one came after Woods skipped a short wedge approach well past the hole. He made the 6-footer for par, but it was, again, a lot more work than it needed to be. Well, he went flag-hunting at the 11th. Narrowly missed a 30-footer for birdie. Woods got rid of the jacket, with the spitting rain subsiding after a dreary early morning. He had no chance to reach the green and simply pitched out. When it finally stopped, it was 7 feet from the 13th hole but 117 feet from the fifth. The ball settled about 6 feet from the pin. Well, he slammed his club into the ground while the approach was still in the air.

After an opening-round, 6-over 78 at The 150th Open, Tiger Woods will need to go low Friday in order to advance to the weekend at the Old Course at St.

Hole 3 (par 4, 392 yards): Woods split the center of fairway with driver off the tee, leaving a short iron from 101 yards. His par putt lipped out, though, and he tapped in for his first bogey of the day. From 240 yards, Woods selected a fairway metal and played a fade that landed on the green but past the hole, rolling out to leave a lengthy eagle putt of 117 feet. Hole 6 (par 4, 412 yards): Woods took driver and slipped again on impact, the ball sailing right and finding a gnarly fairway pot bunker. He started his birdie putt well right of the hole; the ball rode a ridge down toward the cup, coming to rest 4 feet short. Hole 12 (par 4, 348 yards): Woods pulled driver off the tee and pulled it slightly left, the ball landing in fescue but bouncing into a lighter patch of rough. Hole 7 (par 4, 383 yards): Woods selected fairway metal and played a soft fade that safely split the fairway, maintaining good balance throughout the swing. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner played a low bump-and-run with a mid-iron, the ball scooting on a line toward the cup but not carrying enough pace, coming to rest some 20 feet short of the hole. The ball landed on the fairway just in front of the green and released onto the putting surface, settling hole-high with a 15-foot birdie look. On his approach with a short iron, his distance control was sublime, the ball landing near hole-high and settling there to leave some 15 feet for birdie. Hole 18 (par 4, 343 yards): Stepping to the final tee box of his week at The 150th Open, Woods savored the moment before selecting a fairway metal. The crowd roared as Woods crossed the Swilcan Bridge; he removed his cap and smiled in appreciation.

"I don't know if I'll be physically able to play another British Open here at St. Andrews," Tiger Woods said.

Woods has won 15 major championships since he turned pro in 1996. He was visibly emotional as he crossed the Swilcan Bridge to the 18th hole. "I don't know if I'll be physically able to play another British Open here at St. Andrews," he said, according to NBCUniversal's Golf Channel.

The 15-time major winner looked a pale imitation of his best and conceded he may have played his last Open at St Andrews.

It was a peculiar indulgence, entry to the grand stage granted to a former Open champion. He needed at least a 66 to stay in the discussion, as he said on Thursday night. “It was about playing one more, my last one here at the home of golf, which is really cool to be able to end it here.” The priority was making the cut not a counterattack on the leaders. It wouldn’t have mattered if I shot a pair of 75s or a pair of 85s, which I nearly did,” he said. The crowd who had lent loyal support fell silent – out of respect or pity, it was hard to say. Whatever happens to Woods in the rest of his career, surviving that car crash and the remake of his crushed bones and psyche will count among his greatest achievements. “The fans, the ovation and the warmth, it was an unbelievable feeling. Woods began chipping away at his deficit with a tradesmanlike birdie on the 398-yard 3rd. Rarely, if ever, in the 150 years of the Open, can a player finishing nine over have been wrapped in such a raucous embrace on the 18th hole. But the 46-year-old exposed his thinned thatch to the afternoon sun and simultaneously connected with the heaving gallery’s acclamation for his gilded history as much as for his failed effort. The denouement was Othello-level painful, a farewell wreathed in desolation.

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ ... "To me, it felt like this might have been my last British Open here at St. Andrews," Woods said. "And the fans, the ovation and the ...

The procedure was his fourth microdiscectomy, which was supposed to alleviate nerve pain in his lower back, and his first back surgery since a spinal fusion in April 2017. People have no idea what I have to go through and the hours of the work on the body, pre- and post-[round], each and every single day to do what I just did. "So hopefully they can -- not fully fix it, I don't know if they'll be able to -- but minimize it and [he can] have a normal life. And then you think about playing more events on top of that, it's hard enough just to do what I did." After he skipped the U.S. Open in June, it became clear that he doesn't feel like he even has to play in all of them. Woods was asked Friday whether he might play additional tournaments outside of the majors to better prepare for those events, the ones that really matter. He hit 65.6% of fairways and 72.2% of greens in regulation. He carded a 6-over 78 in the first round and a 3-over 75 in the second. And I feel like I will be able to play future British Opens, but I don't know if I'll be able to play that long enough that when it comes back around here, will I still be playing?" The 15-time major champion is currently No. 994 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He doesn't seem ready to commit to any additional tournaments outside of the majors. And it felt very emotional, just because I just don't know what my health is going to be like. Because of the R&A's rota, The Open probably wouldn't return to the Old Course at St. Andrews until 2027 at the earliest.

Tiger Woods didn't stop as he crossed the Swilcan Bridge. The stone bridge that crosses a thin burn at the 18th hole of St. Andrews has long been the spot ...

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In what is likely his final Open Championship at St. Andrews, Tiger Woods missed the cut after shooting 9 over through the first two rounds of the ...

"People have no idea what I have to go through and the hours of the work on the body, pre- and post-[round], each and every single day, to do what I just did. And then you think about playing more events on top of that, it's hard enough just to do what I did." He shot 9-over 79 in the third round, his worst score at the PGA Championship. "I understand being more battle-hardened, but it's hard just to walk and play 18 holes," Woods said. "But I don't know if I will be physically able to play back here again when it comes back around. But just to hear the ovations getting louder and louder and louder, I felt that as I was coming in [this year]. The people knew that I wasn't going to make the cut at the number I was. Just to have him out here playing golf is pretty special for all of us." I'll be able to play future British Opens, yes, but eight years' time, I doubt if I'll be competitive at this level." It might not be until late November, when he hosts the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, which benefits his foundation and other charities. "If it is [the end], it would be a pretty sad day," Hatton said. After his round on Friday, he acknowledged that it might have been his last Open at St. Andrews -- but said it wasn't his final one altogether. Woods, a three-time winner of The Open, including in 2000 and 2005 at St. Andrews, won't be around for the 150th anniversary celebration this weekend.

Golf's most recognizable star may have played his final round of a British Open at St. Andrews. Woods shot a 75 and missed the cut.

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Tiger Woods got himself to The Open. He didn't make the cut. So what does this tell us about his game and when might we see him again?

The procedure was his fourth microdiscectomy, which was supposed to alleviate nerve pain in his lower back, and his first back surgery since a spinal fusion in April 2017. People have no idea what I have to go through and the hours of the work on the body, pre- and post-[round], each and every single day to do what I just did. "So hopefully they can -- not fully fix it, I don't know if they'll be able to -- but minimize it and [he can] have a normal life. And then you think about playing more events on top of that, it's hard enough just to do what I did." After he skipped the U.S. Open in June, it became clear that he doesn't feel like he even has to play in all of them. Woods was asked Friday whether he might play additional tournaments outside of the majors to better prepare for those events, the ones that really matter. He hit 65.6% of fairways and 72.2% of greens in regulation. He carded a 6-over 78 in the first round and a 3-over 75 in the second. And I feel like I will be able to play future British Opens, but I don't know if I'll be able to play that long enough that when it comes back around here, will I still be playing?" The 15-time major champion is currently No. 994 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He doesn't seem ready to commit to any additional tournaments outside of the majors. And it felt very emotional, just because I just don't know what my health is going to be like. Because of the R&A's rota, The Open probably wouldn't return to the Old Course at St. Andrews until 2027 at the earliest.

Tiger Woods said he was moved to tears as he walked down the 18th fairway and across the Swilcan Bridge – possibly for the last time at an Open.

“I felt that as I was coming in,” Woods added. “I looked over there, and Rory gave me a tip of the cap. Just the amount of understanding and respect from all the people that are involved in this event, that come out in support of the players, the nods I was getting as the players were going out. The three-time Open champion – two of the wins on this course – opted to try “a chipped three-wood”, lipped out with his birdie putt and finished with a three-over 75 to add to his first-round 78. There was more of the same on the 1st tee, with his young protege Justin Thomas about to get his round under way. “As I was walking off the tee, I felt the guys stop and I looked around, where the hell is Joey [LaCava, my caddie]? He stopped back there, so I gave him the club.

'Had a few tears': Tiger bombs out of Open … and it 'might have been his last'

Maybe something next year, I don’t know, but nothing in the near future. But bogeys at four and six quickly snuffed out any chance of a rally. Questions will now be asked over what the future holds for the 46-year-old. “I have nothing planned, zero. “It’s hard just to walk and play 18 holes. A tearful Tiger Woods said he may never get the chance to grace a British Open at St Andrews again after missing the cut on Friday with a score of nine-over-par for his two rounds.