Coming off a respectable 1-over 72 on Thursday — marred by three-putts on the final two holes — Tiger’s second round was plagued by pair of early triple-bogeys.
Tiger, who teed off at 2:49 p.m. ET alongside Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley, needed seven shots to complete the par-4 second. He compounded a missed fairway with an approach into the thick rough, then chipped into a bunker.
Following a three-putt bogey on the par-3 third, his rusty short game cost him again: On the par-4 fourth, he hacked his third shot from the rough into the bunker, resulting in another triple.
By the time he registered birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, Woods was 5-over for the round and +8 for the tournament. The cut landed at -1.
Bogeys at the par-3 11th and par-4 12th ended any hopes of a late miracle. Still, he grinded out five consecutive pars then set himself up for birdie on No. 18 with a nifty chip — much to the delight of the appreciative patrons.
“Just keep fighting,” Tiger said afterward about his effort. “Keep the pedal on, keep fighting, keep grinding, keep working hard at posting the best score that I can possibly post today. That’s all I can do. It’s going to be a lot, but I’m going to fight until the end.”
The 15-time major champion played the final 14 holes at 1-under par.
When he hit the clubhouse, Tiger ranked 23rd in the field in Strokes Gained: off the tee for the day, 111th in SG: putting, 155th in SG: around the green, and 129th in SG: approach.
The 2024 PGA Championship was Tiger’s first event since the Masters in April. He made his record 24th straight cut at Augusta National but finished last after the weekend.
The 48-year-old — who received a special exemption from the PGA of America — intends to enter all four majors in 2024. The U.S. Open at Pinehurst begins on June 13. The Open Championship at Royal Troon gets going on July 20.
“I need to play more,” Tiger said. “Unfortunately I just haven’t played a whole lot of tournaments — and not a whole lot of tournaments on my schedule either. Hopefully everything will somehow come together in practice sessions at home and be ready for Pinehurst.”
It’s the 24th cut Tiger has missed in his 28-year professional career.
