Tiger Woods Appears Headed for Another Early Major Exit at British Open

The three-time Open champion shot 8-over 79 at Royal Troon in cool weather that made things difficult for his persistent back issues.

Tiger Woods opened with 79 in what will likely be a short week at Royal Troon. / Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

TROON, Scotland — The result is all too predictable this year for Tiger Woods. Not enough golf preparation leads to uneven performances. And trying to perform against the best players in the world at the most difficult venues only adds to the challenge.

Woods, once again, showed flashes of his prior brilliance and appeared leaner and a bit more mobile than he did last month at the U.S. Open.

But after an early birdie Thursday at Royal Troon, he ran into inevitable difficulty from which he could not recover, shooting 8-over-par 79, signaling an early exit from a tournament he has won three times.

“I didn't do a whole lot of things right today,” Woods said after making just two birdies, two doubles and six bogeys. “I made that putt on the 3rd hole, and then I think I had, what, three 3-putts today. I didn't hit my irons very close, and I didn't give myself a whole lot of looks today.

“I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow to get something going on the weekend.”

That is an admirable if not unrealistic ask at this point.

The weather, which turned cool and blustery, is not Woods’s friend, not when he’s battling back issues that keep him from playing and practicing more often.

And Royal Troon is not exactly yielding a plethora of low scores. Shane Lowry played beautifully, making five birdies without a bogey to take the first-round lead with a 66. Justin Thomas, playing early in the day, shot 68. There were numerous under-par scores but going low requires a lot to go right.

“He's only playing major championships,” said Xander Schauffele, who played with Woods on Thursday. Schauffele shot 69 and is tied for fourth. “He's making it as hard on himself as possible, and I know he's hard on himself, too. It's just hard. I think he's just learning. He's got to learn a little bit more about his body, what he can and can't do.

“I'm sure he'd like to prep more at home if his body would allow it. I'm not sure he tells you guys this stuff or not. But as a tour pro now, I kind of know what goes into it and what needs to be done to play at a high level. If your body is not letting you do it, it's just frustrating. I'm sure he's trying to figure that out.”

Woods admitted he had hoped to play more this year. He previously planned on a once-a-month event schedule. But he played just a single round at the Genesis Invitational before withdrawing with an illness, didn’t play leading up to the Masters, where he made the cut but finished last in the field, then missed the cut in the last two major championships.

For the year, Woods has played just 10 rounds of official golf. He’s not shot better than 72 and has now shot four rounds of 77 or worse.

“I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better,” he said. “I just wish I could have played a little bit 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 a little bit better than this year.”

Woods said he was too “optimistic” about playing more earlier this year. He suggested more time in the gym is necessary going forward. So is more time on the course. Who knows after Friday when the next time that will be?