Tiger Woods drops huge retirement clue

Tiger Woods has hinted that the 2024 US Open might have marked his final appearance in the prestigious tournament. The three-time major champion faced significant challenges at Pinehurst No. 2 this past week, likening the experience to a “war of attrition.”

Despite a promising start with a birdie on the first hole, Woods concluded Thursday with a four-over 74. The following day, his struggles continued. Critical putts failed to drop, including a particularly unfortunate miss on the 15th hole, where his ball lipped out of the cup. He ended Friday with a 73, leaving him seven-over for the event and missing the cut, thereby extinguishing any hopes of a resurgence.

Woods, whose last US Open victory came at Torrey Pines in 2008, expressed uncertainty about his future participation in the tournament. He conveyed his frustration to the press, stating, “It’s one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can’t win the tournament from where I’m at, so it certainly is frustrating. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work out.”

He further commented on the possibility of it being his last US Open appearance, saying, “As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”

Woods has confirmed his participation in the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Troon, despite his performance at Pinehurst falling short of his expectations. A missed birdie putt on the 15th hole was particularly costly for the golf legend, making it difficult for him to advance to the weekend.

Reflecting on his play, the 48-year-old said, “Yeah, 15 hurt. That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good on the last three holes. Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes. I ended up hitting a sweet shot out of trouble on 16, and I thought I holed my bunker shot at 17.”

He added, “I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some bad lag putts. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”