Tiger Woods has vowed to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing performance at The Open – but says he will play in the famous competition again next year.
The 48-year-old endured a difficult two days on the windy course at Royal Troon in Scotland in the final major of the season.
It was only his second appearance at The Open since 2019 but it couldn’t have gone any worse for the 15-time major champion.
Woods racked up an eight-over 79 in his first round yesterday and only improved ever so slightly today, recording six-over to finish 14-over for the tournament, leaving him right near the bottom of the pile.
His poor showing means he missed the cut by at least eight shots, falling short at the first hurdle for the third consecutive major.
Despite his early exit, Woods remained upbeat about his future but said he won’t be playing again until December.
‘I’m not going to play until then,’ he said. ‘I’m just going to keep on getting physically better and keep working on it. and then hopefully come back for our fifth major,’ he joked, referencing the father-son event at the end of 2024.
When asked if we can expect to see him at the 153rd Open in 2025 at Portrush in Northern Ireland, Woods replied: ‘Oh yeah, definitely.’
It’s been a long road to recovery for Woods since he suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021, undergoing numerous surgical procedures since then.
But even though he’s struggled with mobility, he’s adamant he can carry on, doubling down on the promise that he will not be retiring at the end of this season.
‘I’m physically feeling better than I did at the beginning of the year,’ he added.
‘At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven’t played a lot. As the year has gone on, I have got better.
‘I just wish I could have played more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it. Hopefully next year will be better.
‘I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing. I’ve won two Open Championships here in Scotland, so I’ve always enjoyed playing up here.
‘I’ve enjoyed the different types of links that Scotland brings and the challenges. I’ve missed playing Troon.
‘It’s been a long time. I remember playing here way back in ’97. I’ve had some good memories here. I just wish I’d done a little bit better.’
Elsewhere on the course, Rory McIlroy also saw his attempt to end a long-running major drought go up in flames with a disastrous round yesterday proving costly.
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