Tiger Woods made somber admission after U.S. Open missed reduce

PINEHURST, N.C. — The employee wore soiled denims and a yellow reflective vest. He sat is his utility cart, proper in entrance of the highway that crosses in entrance of the fifteenth tee field at Pinehurst No. 2, and waited. One other group was coming via and needed to tee off earlier than the volunteers eliminated the ropes and opened the passageway.

So for now, it was break time. Till he realized who was about to tee off.

“Hey, Tiger’s on the tee,” he stated to his buddy within the cart behind him. “Let’s stroll up.”

The grown males sprung out of their seats and nestled up near the ropes. They weren’t alone. On Friday night at Pinehurst, the weekend was principally set. We knew Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy had been going to be teeing off late on Saturday. We knew Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay, each time they completed, would be part of them. We knew Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas and Max Homa and Viktor Hovland had been going home.

The remaining storylines had been few, aside from Tiger Woods. He had a late tee time, and the Pinehurst devoted needed to watch for him. However the true query was if he would stick round for 2 extra days.

Woods shot an uncommon 74 on Thursday, which is barely characterised that means since he drove it so properly (12 of 14 fairways) but hit his irons so poorly (9 of 18 greens). Normally, it’s the other components. He knew he wanted to shoot round even par, a minimum of, to make the reduce on Friday, however even-par days aren’t really easy at U.S. Opens.

When he reached the fifteenth tee, at about 5:30 p.m. native, Woods was two over for the day and 6 over for the match. At that time, it was a close to certainty the reduce can be 5 over, probably even 4. He missed an 11-footer for par on 12, so he knew what the objective was the remainder of the way in which. On 13, he missed an 8-footer for birdie. On 14, he couldn’t drain a 20-footer.

4 holes left. He wanted a birdie. The Village and NBC Sports activities company tents lined either side of the par-3. It was nonetheless scorching scorching, though a slight breeze helped. For most individuals, it was an exquisite solution to spend a Friday evening, watching Woods chase a weekend spot.

Woods blasted it to 16 toes. It was his final finest probability for a birdie, and he knew it. So when he struck the putt and noticed it monitor towards the opening he couldn’t assist however choose up that lead entrance foot, readying to stroll it in himself, a transfer we’ve seen from him a whole bunch of occasions. However this one didn’t monitor. It caught an edge. Woods hunched over. The group groaned.

“Yeah, 15 harm,” Woods stated later, after he shot 73 and missed the reduce by two. “If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m wanting fairly good on the final three holes, and as an alternative I’m on the fallacious aspect of the reduce line.”

Regardless of the help of the sun-burnt followers sweating exterior the ropes, Woods’ 74-73 (seven over) wasn’t ok to make his first U.S. Open weekend in 5 years. He had one other shot at birdie on 16, however a poor putt from behind the inexperienced led to a bogey. He parred the ultimate two holes.

“My ball-striking, and felt like my placing was ok to be in competition, and I’m not,” Woods stated. “Sure, it’s irritating as a result of I’m not right here to have an opportunity to win on the weekend.”

Woods answered 4 questions from the media afterward. One confirmed he has only one begin left this season, the Open Championship, and one other led to a extra somber realization.

Requested if he at any level thought through the week that this might be his final U.S. Open, Woods stated, “It could or will not be.”

It was stunning candor, and may need hit like a gut-punch to some, but it surely was additionally merely factual. Woods doesn’t have a spot in future U.S. Opens, identical to he didn’t have one this 12 months. He acquired a particular exemption from the USGA, which might primarily be provided till he not needs one (and sure can be). Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, amongst others, additionally acquired particular exemptions.

However majors (and main weekends) with Tiger Woods, who’s 48, are hardly assured nowadays. The accidents. The automotive accident. The (lack of) reps. Within the earlier eight years, he’s performed solely half of golf’s majors. Two of these he withdrew from. If he performs the Open Championship subsequent month, will probably be the primary time in 4 years he’s performed each main.

Woods’ swan tune may not be imminent, however his phrases Friday evening reminded us nothing lasts endlessly.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of many sport’s most-read information and repair web sites. He spends most of his days writing, modifying, planning and questioning if he’ll ever break 80. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF.com in 2015, he labored at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State College in Mankato, Minn., he resides within the Twin Cities together with his spouse and two youngsters. You possibly can attain him at [email protected].