Tiger Woods misses British Open cut: ‘I just want to go home’

After a 1-under 70 on Friday, his two-day score of 6-over-par 148 doomed him to a weekend without golf and will generate questions about what, exactly, we’re to expect from the greatest golfer of his generation moving forward.

In the short term, that means Woods will skip next weekend’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis to rest up for the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, a three-week stretch of tournaments in August.

“I just want some time off just to get away from it,” Woods told reporters after his round. “I had a long trip to Thailand [for a family vacation after his tie for 21st at the U.S. Open in June]. And then trying to get ready for this event, to play this event, it’s been a lot of travel, a lot of time in the air, a lot of moving around and different hotels and everything. I just want to go home."

At the end of Friday’s round, Irishman Shane Lowry had a share of the tournament lead, rousing the galleries with his second straight round of 4 under par. U.S. journeyman J.B. Holmes, the first-round leader, was tied with Lowry after carding a 3-under 68 on Friday. Lowry and Holmes finished one stroke up on a pair of Englishmen in Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood.

Other big names near the top of the leader board included Justin Rose (tied for fifth, two strokes back) and Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth (tied for eighth, three strokes back). Among those missing the cut included Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, whose Friday charge came up one stroke short, and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland.

Brooks Koepka looks every bit the British Open favorite with his caddie, a hometown favorite

No statistic better exemplified Woods’s inability to take advantage than his performance on Royal Portrush’s three par-5 holes. From 1996 to 2016, Woods led the PGA Tour 12 times in par-5 scoring relative to the field. On Thursday and Friday, he combined to play Royal Portrush’s longest holes at 2 over par with zero birdies.

“I kind of grinded my way around the golf course today,” he said. “I had a chance to get it back to even par for the tournament. I didn’t handle the par 5s well. I was in perfect position on all three of them, if I handled those par 5s well I would be right there.”

Woods told reporters after his round that he’s had to adapt his game to the realities of a 43-year-old body that’s been the subject of numerous back surgeries, and that sometimes that adaptation doesn’t translate into the success we saw earlier this year at Augusta National, when Woods won his 15th major title at the Masters. He’s played in only four tournaments since then, missing the cut at the PGA Championship and doing the same at the British Open.

“It’s just a matter of being consistent,” he said. “That’s one of the hardest things to accept as an older athlete is that you’re not going to be as consistent as you were at 23. Things are different. And I’m going to have my hot weeks. I’m going to be there in contention with a chance to win, and I will win tournaments.

“But there are times when I’m just not going to be there. And that wasn’t the case 20-some-odd years ago. I had a different body and I was able to be a little bit more consistent.”

Woods’s round, hole by hole

Hole 18 (par 4, 467 yards)

Facing the inevitable, Woods hooked his drive at the finishing hole into the first cut of rough and could only get his second shot to the front of the green. Putting from 20 feet off the putting surface, Woods didn’t get nearly enough on it, and his long par save had the distance but not the line. A desultory bogey ends Tiger’s day and his tournament.

Result: bogey

Tournament score: 6 over par (projected cut: 1 over par)

Elsewhere: Shane Lowry has taken over the lead, his birdie at No. 8 pushing him one shot ahead of J.B. Holmes at 9 under par. That’s five birdies in eight holes for the Irishman so far on Friday.

Hole 17 (par 4, 417 yards)

Conditions had been great all day but started to deteriorate as Woods and Co. got to the 17th hole, with rain moving in and umbrellas going up. Tiger got wild with his drive at the worst possible time, sending his tee shot into the rough, and his approach flew over the green and led to a string of audible profanities. Chipping from the rough, Woods got himself a 20-foot chance to save par but his putt stayed low for his first bogey since No. 7. That’ll about do it for Tiger. He’s almost certainly going to miss the cut.

Result: bogey

Tournament score: 5 over par

Elsewhere: Englishman Lee Westwood has five top 10 finishes at the British Open — and 18 top 10 finishes in grand slams overall — but never has hoisted the Claret Jug or any other major trophy. A 4-under 67 has put the 46-year-old in good shape entering the weekend, however. He’s a shot behind leaders J.B. Holmes and Tommy Fleetwood.

Hole 16 (par 3, 230 yards)

Woods avoided disaster at Calamity Corner, with its terrifying ravine down the right side, but his 4-iron tee shot left him with a hole-high, 30-foot birdie putt that didn’t get there. Par is a good score at No. 16 on Friday, but it’s not what Woods needed. Birdies are a must now with two holes left.

Result: par

Tournament score: 4 over par

Hole 15 (par 4, 419 yards)

Woods continued his strong play off the tee with another drive in the fairway, but his approach was dismally short of the green and he tossed his wedge in disgust. Putting from the front of the green, Woods got it to within range but not in. It’s another missed opportunity to get closer to the cut line (still 1 over par) and now it’s pretty much birdie or bust the rest of the way.

Result: par

Tournament score: 4 over par

Elsewhere: Shane Lowry added another birdie to his early tally, giving him four through five holes. He’s tied for the lead with J.B. Holmes.

Hole 14 (par 4, 475 yards)

Woods’s quest to go at least 3 under par over his final five holes began with a tee shot in the fairway and an approach with about a 25-foot view of the hole (a vast improvement over Thursday’s first round, when he found the bunker to the left of the green). But his putt simply didn’t have enough break on it and it scooted past.

Result: par.

Tournament score: 4 over par

Hole 13 (par 3, 188 yards)

Woods’s tee shot found the green at the par-3 13th but his 30-foot birdie putt limped off to the right. He needed that one to drop with the cut line hovering at 1 over par.

Result: par

Tournament score: 4 over par

Elsewhere: Shane Lowry, who led for a sizable chunk of the first round, has fired off three straight birdies to start the day on Friday. He’s one stroke behind J.B. Holmes, tied with Tommy Fleetwood at 7 under par.

Hole 12 (par 5, 527 yards)

At the final par 5 and the easiest hole on the course on Friday, Woods sent his tee shot into the left rough, though his lie wasn’t terrible. His second shot was bad — Woods was heard muttering “no, no, no, no, no” right after he hit it — and it stayed left, still in the rough. Woods rolled a chip onto the green, but his uphill birdie putt didn’t have enough steam on it. Woods’s score on the par 5s this week: 2 over par. That’s a killer.

Result: par

Tournament score: 4 over par

Hole 11 (par 4, 474 yards)

Woods navigated the tee shot at No. 11, one of the toughest on the course, and got his approach to within eight feet. Another birdie, and Woods isn’t done quite yet.

Result: birdie

Tournament score: 4 over par

Hole 10 (par 4, 443 yards)

Another good tee shot and a second straight solid approach gives Woods another opportunity at birdie, about 15 feet, and he’s able to convert the big-breaking putt to the delight of the large gallery on hand.

Result: birdie

Tournament score: 5 over par

Elsewhere: J.B. Holmes is not about to relinquish his lead. Soon after Tommy Fleetwood birdied No. 18 to tie Holmes atop the leader board, the American journeyman birdied both No. 12 and No. 13 to retake the lead for himself by two strokes at 9 under par.

Hole 9 (par 4, 432 yards)

Woods’s approach is sound this time, to around 10 feet, but his birdie putt skims across the right side of the hole. Another missed opportunity. With nine holes left, Woods is going to need a miracle to make the cut.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: With a birdie at the finishing hole, Tommy Fleetwood has moved into a share of the lead with J.B. Holmes at 7 under par for the tournament. The Englishman shot a 4-under 67 in his second round.

Hole 8 (par 4, 428 yards)

For the second straight hole, it’s a great tee shot followed by a dismal approach to the left, with Woods’s ball trickling down into the rough to the left of the green. His chip is solid, and it’s another par. Woods is running out of holes, however, particularly holes where birdie is attainable. With the cut at 1 over par, pars are not going to be enough.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Hole 7 (par 5, 592 yards)

Perhaps with a little pep in his step after the birdie at No. 6, Woods unleashed his strongest swing of the tournament and sent his tee shot into a perfect part of the fairway on the course’s easiest hole. But his approach was botched, resulting in a ball into the gallery on the left side and a mild, audible profanity from Tiger. With his ball snaggled in the rough, Woods couldn’t even get his recovery attempt onto the green, and his putt from the fringe — which had to overcome two distinct ridges — was eight feet short. The par-save attempt went past the hole, and it’s a crippling bogey on a hole that was there for the taking.

Result: bogey

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: J.B. Holmes has a one-stroke lead over Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Cameron Smith (the latter two golfers both 5 under for the day).

Hole 6 (par 3, 189 yards)

Woods’s first round truly went sideways at No. 6 on Thursday, a double bogey sending him spiraling down the leader board. In his second crack at the hole Friday, his tee shot found the green but wasn’t particularly close to the hole, yet he was able to sink the left-to-right bomb for his second birdie of the day.

Result: birdie

Tournament score: 5 over par

Hole 5 (par 4, 374 yards)

Woods’s troubles Thursday started with a bogey at this short par 4, which is reachable from the tee. Going with driver, Woods gave his tee shot a ride but it landed short and right of the green, leading to a tricky chip and eventually about a 15-footer for birdie, which had a good line but not enough speed. It’s an opportunity lost at one of the course’s easiest holes.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: Playing in his final major at the age of 60, 1996 British Open champion Tom Lehman got a nice send-off as he completed his last-ever grand slam round.

Hole 4 (Par 4, 474 yards)

A perfectly placed tee shot and solid approach gave Woods an 18-foot look at birdie, but his putt had a little too much speed and it skated past the hole.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: Englishman Tommy Fleetwood has joined the crowd behind leader J.B. Holmes. He’s tied with Jordan Spieth at 5 under par for the tournament, good for third place at the moment.

Hole 3 (Par 3, 172 yards)

Woods’s tee shot found the green but a long birdie putt couldn’t find the hole.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: J.B. Holmes continues his strong play with three birdies through six holes. At 8 under par for the tournament, he’s now two strokes up on Tyrrell Hatton and three ahead of Jordan Spieth, who bogeyed No. 9 to come back to earth a bit.

Hole 2 (par 5, 556 yards)

The second hole played as the Royal Portrush’s easiest hole on Thursday and but was playing slightly tougher Friday with a pin placement at the front left of the green, a drop-off looming to the left. And that’s where Woods sent his approach, to the left of the green down the hill. Putting from off the green for eagle, Woods didn’t get enough on it and nearly saw his ball roll back down to his feet. His birdie putt went five feet past the hole, but he saved the par. Has to be disappointing, though.

Result: par

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: 2017 British Open champion Jordan Spieth is tearing up Royal Portrush, his birdie at No. 8 sending him into solo second behind J.B. Holmes (who’s 2 under for the day after five holes). Spieth has played his last four holes at 5 under par.

Hole 1 (par 4, 421 yards)

Woods’s opening tee shot Friday was a copy of Thursday’s: left of the fairway into the rough, two steps from out of bounds. But he got a nice lie and sent his approach onto the green for at least a passable birdie chance, which he curled in from around 30 feet. What a start.

Right now, the cut line (top 70 and ties) is sitting at 1 over par.

Result: birdie

Tournament score: 6 over par

Elsewhere: The two biggest movers of the early going have been English links specialist Tyrrell Hatton (2 under through nine holes, 5 under, one shot behind leader J.B. Holmes) and South African Erik van Rooyen (3 under through 10 to join the pack at 4 under). Jordan Spieth also is 4 under to start to get to 5 under for the tournament after this eagle at No. 7:

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