By CNN
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Tiger Woods has made an early exit from the Open Championship, but the US golfer has vowed to be back for the 2025 major.
A second round six-over 77 at Royal Troon in Scotland on Friday improved upon an opening 79, but left the 48-year-old well short of the projected cut line for the top-70 players at 14-over par overall.
It ties the three-time Open champion’s highest ever 36-hole score of his major career, according to golf statistician Justin Ray, shot at the US Open in 2015 – the only previous season he had missed three consecutive cuts at the sport’s four flagship events.
“Just was fighting it pretty much all day,” Woods, who finished 60th at the Masters in April before failing to make the weekend at both the PGA Championship and US Open, told reporters.
“I never really hit it close enough to make birdies and consequently made a lot of bogeys.”
Signing off with par, Woods was given a standing ovation as crowds swarmed behind the ropes to get a last glimpse of him at Royal Troon, yet the 15-time major winner insisted it would not be his final Open.
Woods – who is automatically qualified for the tournament as a result of his victories in 2000, 2005 and 2006 – said he will “definitely” be returning for next year’s 153rd edition of the major at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, in what would be his 24th outing at the event.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner had arrived at Royal Troon adamant that he will play as long as he feels he can still win, shunning former world No. 2 Colin Montgomerie’s suggestion he should consider retiring.
This season marks the first since his 2021 car crash that Woods has competed at all four majors. In February, he had expressed his desire to compete in one tournament a month but – despite “physically feeling a lot better” than at the beginning of the year – has only competed in five official events in 2024.
“I loved it. I’ve always loved playing major championships. I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors,” he said Friday.
“Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be. I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did.
“Consequently, my results and scores were pretty high,” Woods, who shot just his sixth career major round of eight over or worse on Thursday, added.
Playing partner and May’s PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele, who followed up an opening two-under 69 with a 72, said Thursday he could empathize with Woods’ fight for sharpness.
“He’s making it as hard on himself as possible, and I know he’s hard on himself too,” Schauffele told reporters.
“He’s got to learn a little bit more about his body, what he can and can’t do. I’m sure he’d like to prep more at home if his body would allow it … I know what goes into it and what needs to be done to play at a high level. If your body is not letting you do it, it’s just frustrating.”
