Tiger Woods didn’t have his A game—or even his C- game—this week, missing the cut at the Open Championship, an event he’s won three times with victories in 2000, 2005 and 2006. The 15-time major winner improved on his disastrous opening round (78) but not enough to see the weekend, carding a 75 to finish nine over for the tournament. Knowing this could be his final round at St. Andrews, a venue he’s won at twice before (2000 and 2005), Woods couldn’t hide his emotion, receiving thunderous applause from the gallery as he walked to the 18th green.
Audiences back home were feeling similarly nostalgic, acknowledging the end of an era with Woods, an unprecedented athlete who, at the height of his fame, was seen as a global phenomenon, taking a well-deserved victory lap at one of the most iconic courses in golf.
While history has taught us never to count Woods out, there’s reason to believe this will be his final trip to St. Andrews, at least professionally, as the 46-year-old enters the latter stages of what has been a magnificent career spanning the better part of three decades. Woods has only appeared in three tournaments, all majors, since returning from a brutal car wreck that nearly cost him his leg, withdrawing from the PGA Championship due to injury and now missing the cut at St. Andrews, finishing 148th out of 156 competitors in this week’s Open field.
There’s never a good time to say goodbye to a legend like Woods, a singular talent generations of golf fans have come to idolize and admire. Woods insists he’s not ready to retire, though he has acknowledged we’ll be seeing a lot less of him, limiting his exposure to major events and the PNC Championship, an annual father/son tournament he’s played in each of the past two years. Tied with Sam Snead for the most wins all-time (82), Woods recently said he has no plans to join the LIV tour, dismissing it as an inferior brand of golf lacking the prestige and history of the PGA.
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