Tiger Woods set to miss Open Championship, his third straight major absence

Tiger Woods will not play at the Open Championship, the last men’s major of the year, tournament organizers announced Friday.

The fifteen-time major champion underwent “successful” ankle surgery in April following an early withdrawal from The Masters, subsequently not competing at the PGA Championship or this week’s US Open.

Woods, 47, has prioritized competing at the four major championships since he suffered severe leg injuries in a car crash in 2021, but is set to miss his third major in a row by not competing at the 151st edition of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England next month.

“We have been advised that Tiger will not be playing at Royal Liverpool. We wish him all the best with his recovery,” an R&A spokesperson told CNN in a statement.

Woods could be seen visibly struggling with movement at The Masters.

No timeline for a return to competitive action was specified following Woods’ surgery, a “subtalar fusion procedure” to treat post-traumatic arthritis in his ankle. Despite making the cut at The Masters, Woods had visibly struggled with movement and withdrew after making a poor start to his third round, citing a reaggravation of a foot injury, plantar fasciitis.

He missed only one major in 2022 – the US Open – after his return from a 17-month absence from the sport.

A three-time Open Championship winner, an emotional Woods received a rousing reception as he left the St. Andrews course – for potentially the last time at the major – at last year’s tournament in Scotland.