Tiger Woods announces break from golf after disaster at The Open as career plan laid out

Tiger Woods has announced a break from competitive golf following a challenging performance at The Open Championship at Royal Troon. Woods finished the tournament at 14-over-par through 36 holes, missing the cut by a significant margin. This performance has reignited discussions about his future in golf, with Colin Montgomerie suggesting it might be time for the 48-year-old to consider retirement.

Despite these speculations, Woods competed at Royal Troon, marking his fifth start of 2024 after participating in the Genesis Invitational, the Masters, PGA Championship, and US Open. After his disappointing week, Woods confirmed he would not play on the PGA Tour until the Hero World Challenge in December. “I’m not going to play until then [the Hero World Challenge],” Woods stated. “I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it.”

The three-time Open champion also expressed his intention to participate in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. “Hopefully just come back for our, what is it, our fifth major, the Father/Son [PNC Championship], so looking forward to it,” he added.

There was speculation about whether this would be Woods’ final Open, especially after he waved to the Troon galleries as he left the 18th hole. However, Woods dismissed these rumors, confirming his plans to compete at Royal Portrush next year. When asked about his participation in the 2025 Open, he responded with a smile, “Next year’s Open? Yeah, definitely.”

Woods’ tournament began poorly with an eight-over 79 on Thursday, leaving him with a significant challenge in the second round. Unfortunately, he struggled again, posting a seven-over 78 on Friday. Reflecting on his performance, Woods said, “Well, it wasn’t very good. I made a double there at 2 right out of the hopper when I needed to go the other way. Just was fighting it pretty much all day. I never really hit it close enough to make birdies and consequently made a lot of bogeys.”

This difficult week highlights the ongoing challenges Woods faces in his career, but his determination to return stronger remains evident.