Tiger Woods was close, but by the time he finished his second round of the U.S. Open, the 48-year-old fell short of another cut.
After shooting 4-over in the first round, Woods birdied his fourth hole at Pinehurst No. 2 but added three bogeys to his score — on Nos. 5, 9, 12 and 16 — and eventually settled at 7-over for the tournament.
Woods, who has played in just four PGA Tour events this year, also missed the cut at the PGA Championship and made the cut — and finished last among those who did — at the Masters.
“I didn’t hit my irons particularly well [and] didn’t putt that great,’’ Woods told reporters after his round Thursday. “I drove it on a string all day. Unfortunately, I just didn’t capitalize on it. I didn’t hit the ball very well. It added up to quite a bit of distance away from the flag. It’s not where I wanted to be on a lot of the holes. It just ended up being that far away because I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be.’’
Woods struggled in the opening round of the U.S. Open — a tournament he has won three times — despite hitting 12 of 14 fairways, eventually sitting in a tie for 54th after four bogeys on his final nine holes.
He was participating in the tournament with a special exemption, and he added before the event began that the conditions of the North Carolina course felt “like home.”
“Hot and humid is what we deal with every single day at home in Florida,” Woods told reporters, “so that’s nothing new. I would rather play in hot, humid conditions any day than anything cold. I think pretty much anyone my age will definitely like it a little hotter.’’
The final result for Woods just days later, though, was more of the same.
Woods hasn’t competed in the U.S. Open since 2020, with a collection of injuries derailing his career and preventing the longtime No. 1 golfer from making a sustained comeback.
He withdrew from the Masters in 2023 — his lone appearance at a major that year — and the PGA Championship in 2022, while also missing the cut at the Open Championship two years ago.