British Open 2015: Tiger Woods Misses Cut
The woes of Tiger Woods’ golf game just seem to be getting worse. The three time British Open champion missed the cut at the 144th Open Championship — his third missed cut this season, and his second consecutive missed cut in major championships. Woods fired rounds of 76-75 and finished at seven-over par, missing the cut at the Open by seven shots.
With blustering winds gusting up to 40 mph and a lengthy weather delay, Woods battled nature’s elements and ultimately failed to navigate through the difficult conditions at St. Andrews, a golf course where he has won the British Open twice. Tiger’s second round included a birdie-less front nine and a string of three consecutive bogeys on his inward nine. It is shocking that the former world number one only made three birdies through his two rounds at the Open.
Woods, who came into this year’s British Open confident after showing signs of significant progress at the Greenbrier Classic, seemed lost and frustrated once again, a sight that has become quite the norm throughout the year. At the Greenbrier, his swing seemed more in rhythm and he was able to execute his shots, but this week at the Open, Tiger’s tempo quickened and he missed shots off the tee and even from the short grass off the fairways. Perhaps coming right out of the gate with back-to-back bogeys on Thursday was a sign of the troubles to come.
After finishing his round Saturday afternoon, Woods spoke to the media and discussed the problems plaguing his golf game and how he intends to move forward after yet another disappointing finish.
“I felt like I was playing well enough to win this event. On the very first hole on the first day, I fatted a sand wedge in the water. I fatted my 3-iron off the tee, and then I fatted my 8-iron into the green on 2, drove it in a divot there on 4. It was just one thing after another. I had my opportunities. I just didn’t get the ball close enough, and then when I did, I didn’t make them.”
Woods is likely to continue his tumble down the world golf rankings with his poor British Open showing, and he’ll likely end up out of the top 250, a shocking fact considering how long he was alone at the top. He’ll make his next start at the Quicken Loans National in a few weeks, and in the meantime he’ll no doubt be tinkering with his swing once again trying to find that Tiger-esque magic that made him so great before. Although he remains optimistic about his future, his poor play at the British Open had ESPN analyst Paul Azinger calling Tiger “delusional” about the true state of his game. Of course, only time will tell how Tiger will finish off his remarkable career, but he still has a long road ahead of him before he reclaims his greatness once again.
[Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images]
