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It’s an emotional day at St. Andrews with Tiger Woods failing to make the cut at The Open Championship, and prompting people to wonder whether this is the last time they’ll see him competing in the event.
Woods’ chance of making the cut were slim. He entered Friday at +6, needing a Cinderella run on Friday to play into the weekend. That never materialized, as Tiger played some of his best golf of the week, but the result stayed the same as he went +3 on the round. Emotions were high as he walked to the 18th green, with the St. Andrews crowd showing their appreciation, not just for this week, but the last 26 years.
Listen to the crowd as an emotional @TigerWoods makes his way down the 18th at St Andrews. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/bEIAKIA8UY— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel)
It’s unclear what Tiger will do next, but the sense of finality when it comes to this course is foundered. Woods has exception at The Open Championships through 2036, which would have him competing at age 60 — however the course for The Open is selected in advance. This year marked the first time the event was at St. Andrews since 2015, and we know it won’t be back in Scotland until at least 2026. It’s feeling more and more likely that Woods probably won’t be playing in four years time, and even then there’s no guarantee he’ll be back at this course.
That said, he did make a subtle nod to saying he wants to come back — as Tiger didn’t pause on the iconic Swilcan Bridge to say goodbye, instead he teared up, took off his cap, and just kept walking.
Tiger Woods waves his cap, but doesn’t stop on the Swilcan Bridge. Walking up teary-eyed toward the green. What a scene. This obviously means everything to him. pic.twitter.com/meYZyNSzxZ— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN)
This was one of the most emotional days in Woods’ career. You can tell that he wants to keep going, keep fighting — but his body just isn’t there yet. Time will tell whether this is a new normal for Tiger, or if he can completely rebound from his 2021 car accident. It seems Woods is aiming for at least one more run at St. Andrews, even if it’s a long wait.
If that happens, if Tiger takes to the course once more in 2026 or beyond, it will unquestionably be one of the most emotional scenes in golfing history.
