Tiger Woods has admitted that a missed cut at Pinehurst no.2 might bring the curtain down on his US Open career.
The three-time US Open winner failed to qualify for this major on merit for the first time in his professional career meaning he needed a special exemption from the USGA to tee it up this week.
However, he struggled to rounds of 74 and 73 to miss the cut by two shots casting doubt over his future participation in the US Open but he holds lifetime exemptions to the Masters, PGA Championship and Open.
“I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be,” said a disgruntled Woods.
“It’s one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can’t win the tournament from where I’m at, so it certainly is frustrating. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work out.”
Woods made the ideal start to his opening round, rolling in a birdie on the par-5 10th, his first. But he struggled from there even despite the relatively flat terrain of Pinehurst.
Woods lacked sharpness throughout his 36 holes and it cost him on Friday, failing to get up and down for birdie from over the back on 10, three putting the 12th hole while three successive birdie chances went begging.
A bogey on 16 left the fifteen-time major winner needing a birdie, birdie finish but two closing pars saw him fall short.
“It was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some bad lag putts.”
“Frustrating. I’m not here for the weekend. Granted, my ball-striking and felt like my putting was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.
“Yes, it is frustrating because I’m not here to have a chance to win on the weekend.”
Woods admitted that next month’s Open Championship will be his last of the 2024 season.
“I’ve only got one more tournament this season, so I’m not going to — I don’t think even if I win the British Open I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs. Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”