As the British Open draws to a close, Tiger Woods will also see an end to his 2024 season. He remains optimistic for his return to the Hero World Challenge in December of 2024, but recognizes his need for physical recuperation.

READ MORE:Tiger Woods still draws crowds as legend rages against dying of the light

During the British Open, Woods swung a 156 on 36 holes. This score tied his best on a 36-hole course, but did not prove to be enough for the British Open. Woods ended the round 6 over par, making this his third major in a row he has not qualified for.

Illness and injury has seemingly played a major role in Woods’ performance during this calendar year, and continues to be an issue. In order to improve physically, Woods has opted not to return until the aforementioned Hero World Challenge. The scores he needs to progress through the majors have not been seen since his involvement in a car accident, resulting in serious injury to his legs.

RELATED:The Open: Tiger Woods nearing another major missed cut after opening-round 79 at Royal Troon

Despite the 2021 accident, Woods still maintains his legacy; a fact that was quite evident at the Royal Troon Golf Course. Fans audibly praised Woods’ performance on his walk through the 18th hole, despite the results of the round.

Woods’ rumored return to the Hero World Challenge will make for quite the show if all goes according to plan. Scottie Scheffler, ESPN’s number one ranked golfer in the world, was the 2023 Hero World Challenge winner, and will most likely make his appearance for the title and the $5,000,000 purse. A healthy Woods could be a fair contender, despite age difference and physical ability, making his anticipated return worth the wait.

UPDATE:Prop Farm: ‘Ample support’ among bettors that Tiger Woods will make the cut at Royal Troon

Although things did not go Woods’ way during The Open, his professionalism and character shone through, proving to his fans he remains the professional golfer they elect to follow.

Tiger Woods is in danger of a third consecutive missed cut at a major after admitting he ‘didn’t do a whole lot right’ during an opening round to forget in The 152nd Open.

Woods arrived at Royal Troon having struggled again in the majors this season, finishing last of those who made the cut at The Masters before making early exits at both the PGA Championship and US Open.

The 15-time major champion said ahead of the final men’s major of the year that he would continue to “play as long as I can play and feel like I can still win”, although showed little signs of contending during a eight-over 79 on a breezy Thursday afternoon.

READ MORE:Tiger Woods tries to strike hopeful note after nightmare eight-over round

Woods mixed two birdies with six bogeys and two double-bogeys on the opening day, leaving himself 14 strokes behind early leader Daniel Brown and leaving him with an uphill task to make his first cut at The Open since 2018.

“I didn’t do a whole lot of things right today,” Woods said. “I made that putt on the third hole and then I think I had three three-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.”

Playing alongside Patrick Cantlay and reigning PGA champion Xander Schauffele, Woods opened with two-putt pars over the first two holes before draining a 35-footer from off the third green to move into red figures.

A long-range three-putt bogey at the par-five fourth was followed by a double-bogey at the par-three next, with back-to-back blemishes from the seventh seeing Woods limp to the turn in 40.

Woods had to take a drop after a wayward drive into the bushes at the par-four 11th, resulting in another double-bogey six, although he cancelled out a bogey at the 12th by holing from seven feet to birdie the par-four next.

A poor tee shot at the par-three 17th left him converting from six feet to leave the hole with just a bogey, before Woods – who received a standing ovation as he walked to the final green – signed off another day to forget by three-putting from the back fringe at the par-four last.

RELATED:Tiger Woods reveals he couldn sleep after Donald Trump assassination attempt and it was all we watched on flight to The Open

“I’m physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year,” Woods insisted. “At the end of last year, it was tough and I haven’t played a whole lot.

“I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better. 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. I thought I could play a little bit more earlier in the year. I think I was a little bit too optimistic. I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing like we have.”

Schauffele: Tiger ‘still trying to figure things out’

Schauffele got within three strokes of the lead after an opening-round 69, with the world No 3 believing that Woods is still trying to work out what he his physically capable of around the golf course.

“He hit it pretty solid for the most part,” Schauffele told the media post-round. “He had a couple of bad breaks and hit it in a couple of bad spots. Just happy he’s playing golf.

“He’s only playing major championships. 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.”

UPDATE:Months After the Tiger Woods Split, Nike Deals With Its $28 Billion Mess With a Drastic Move

“But he’s 48 now, his body is shattered and he has played since the age of three… there is no way, at the end of the day, he goes, ‘oh, that was fun, I enjoyed that, what a great experience’. He goes to physio before the round, I bet he’s got another hour and a half after it – it’s got to hurt. And we’ve been seeing it for a couple of years now.

“How much can Tiger withstand when it’s just not going well? It’s just another mighty grind of a day.”

Who will win The 152nd Open? Watch extended coverage this week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 6.30am on Sky Sports Golf. 

American talks of ‘maybe shooting something in the mid-60s tomorrow’ but that looks unlikely after dismal day at the Open

Tiger Woods says he has ambitions of getting “something going at the weekend”, but even making the cut now feels close to fantasy for the limping legend, after he recorded a disastrous eight-over-par 79 in the first round at Royal Troon.

READ MORE:Tiger Woods reveals he couldn  sleep after Donald Trump assassination attempt and it was all we watched on flight to The Open

The crowds were out to cheer on the three-time Open champion in the grey of the Scottish ­summer, but there was sympathy and even ­mockery mixed in with the ­standing ovations. Woods looked sore, he looked ­miserable and, most ­importantly, he looked way off the pace as he ­struggled to keep up with the ­contender Xander Schauffele, even in walking around the course.

Woods was frank about the nature of his round, even if his hopes for the next day seemed optimistic. “I had, what, three putts?” he said after ­returning to the clubhouse. “I didn’t hit my iron very close and I didn’t give myself a whole lot of looks today. So maybe shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow, to get something going on the weekend.”

The 48-year-old finished the day tied for 138th place and while his ­legend suggests anything is ­possible, the experience of watching him labour around the course says a fairytale is unlikely. With ­temperatures hovering at around 16C, Woods spent much of his time trying to keep the muscles of his back and ­shoulders warm and often appeared to be wincing from his movements. He also showed little to no emotion as he made his way around the course; not even frustration, as almost every part of his game let him down.

It all began steadily enough, with a birdie at the par-four 3rd. A 219-yard drive was followed by an approach shot that sat up keenly on the green and Woods tidied up with a calm putt from 12 yards. He later acknowledged, however, that this was the only ­satisfying hole of 18 and he went on to bogey the 4th, the 5th (a double) and then the 7th and 8th too to go out in 40.

RELATED:2024 British Open: Tiger Woods tee times on Thursday and Friday

Matters were to improve only marginally on the way back, despite the heavy winds that had disrupted play in the morning having dropped away. A delay at the tee of the 11th seemed to have a particular effect. As the three-ball of Woods, ­Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay were forced to stand and wait as a camera tower was ­dismantled to clear the line of sight for Wyndham Clark in the group ahead, you could almost see Woods’s muscles freeze up. His drive went off into the railway, he struggled to pick up his tee and another double bogey followed.

Woods lost another shot at the 12th, then clawed one back at the 13th and for a moment optimism was in the air. Fans were shouting “Big cat!”, before miaowing timorously behind their hands, or “Keep grinding”, then chuckling among themselves. A genuine standing ovation awaited him when he reached the end of his round but by then he had already made bogey on the 17th and he dropped one more in front of the grandstands of the 18th.

Woods said any physical concerns were just due to a lack of ­conditioning. “I’m physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year”, he said. “After the end of last year it was tough, and then I haven’t played a whole lot. I think that as the year has gone, I have gotten better. I wish I could have played a little bit more, but I’ve just been saving it for the majors just in case [I injure myself in another tournament] and then take myself out of it.” His fans must hope he has been saving something a little beyond what he has offered so far.

This is what we’re up against

Teams of lawyers from the rich and powerful trying to stop us publishing stories they don’t want you to see.

Lobby groups with opaque funding who are determined to undermine facts about the climate emergency and other established science.

Authoritarian states with no regard for the freedom of the press.

Bad actors spreading disinformation online to undermine democracy.

UPDATE:Tiger Woods facing wrath of St Andrews as plan to take over old building gets green light

The Guardian is funded by its readers and the only person who decides what we publish is our editor.

If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on side.

If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Tiger Woods revealed he arrived at Royal Troon following a sleepless flight induced by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

The 15-time major winner was flying from Florida to Scotland Saturday night for the 152nd Open Championship, which takes place at Royal Troon later this week, when the former President was shot at.

READ MORE:2024 British Open: Tiger Woods tee times on Thursday and Friday

The 48-year-old admitted he wasn’t as fresh as he would have liked for his first practice round Sunday as he was engrossed by the coverage of the incident rather than catching up on his rest on the flight across the Atlantic.

‘I didn’t accomplish a lot because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,’ Woods told BBC Sport Tuesday.

‘It was a long night [because of the assassination attempt] and that’s all we watched the entire time on the way over here.

‘I didn’t sleep at all on the flight, and then we just got on the golf course.’

Trump was left bleeding from his ear after being shot on stage at a rally in a horrific attack by a would-be assassin, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

A barrage of rifle rounds rained down shortly after the former president got up to speak on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding Trump in the ear and killing retired fire chief Corey Comperatore.

Two other supporters were critically injured by stray bullets in the assassination attempt.

Trump was pictured repeatedly pumping his fist with blood dripping from his face while being swarmed by Secret Service agents. Moments later, he was rushed away to safety.

Woods has rarely engaged in politics during his career, preferring to remain publicly apolitical but he did reveal in 2018, during Trump’s term in office, that he had known the former president for a number of years before he took office.

‘I’ve known Donald for a number of years. We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency,’ Woods told New York Times reporter John Branch.

At the time, he was further pressed about his relationship with Trump in light of the Republican candidate’s policies on immigration.

RELATED:Prop Farm: ‘Ample support’ among bettors that Tiger Woods will make the cut at Royal Troon

Well, he’s the President of the United States. You have to respect the office,’ he responded.

Woods also accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2019 at a time when many athletes were shunning invitations to the White House.

However, Woods has also golfed across the aisle as well. He has reportedly hit the fairways with former president Barack Obama, whose election as the first African-American president in 2008 was hailed as ‘incredible’ by the golf legend.

‘I think it’s absolutely incredible,’ Woods told CNBC, per ESPN, at the time. ‘He represents America. He’s multiracial.

‘I was hoping it would happen in my lifetime. My father was hoping it would happen in his lifetime, but he didn’t get to see it. I’m lucky enough to have seen a person of color in the White House…He would have cried. Absolutely. No doubt about it.’

Meanwhile, Woods took center stage Tuesday as he addressed the media ahead of the final major championship of the year where targets a coveted 16th victory.

However, while Woods still believes he has a shot at major triumph, insisting time again that he wouldn’t turn up at a tournament if he didn’t believe he could be competitive, this year’s results spell out a different story.

The golf icon missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and the US Open and while he battled through to the weekend at the Masters, he finished in 60th and last place.

Yet, Woods fixed his glare on those who asked him why we could expect anything different in the coming days on a course that he conceded will ‘eat you up’ if conditions turn.

UPDATE:Months After the Tiger Woods Split, Nike Deals With Its $28 Billion Mess With a Drastic Move

‘I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event,’ he said, brusquely.

When asked whether his belief has wavered, he was even more economical with his words. ‘No,’ came the blunt reply.

Woods has played just nine competitive rounds through 2024 but will still be the main attraction in Ayrshire this week.

‘I wish I had a little bit more under my belt but I’ve been battling some stuff physically,’ he said.

‘I want to save it for the majors. I don’t want to burn myself out pre-major and not be able to play.’

Tiger Woods has delivered a ­withering takedown of Colin Montgomerie, after the Scot suggested the ­15-times major champion should retire. Woods has arrived at Royal Troon for the 152nd Open Championship with speculation this could be his last.

The 48-year-old, who has been beset by injury troubles, finished 60th at the Masters before missing the cut in the USPGA Championship and US Open. Montgomerie, who never won a major, used a weekend interview to imply Woods should call time on his decorated career. On Tuesday, Woods fired back.

“Well, as a past [Open] champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “Colin’s not. He’s not a past ­champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do.”

Pressed on whether he feels he deserves the right to dictate his own playing future, Woods again ­referenced Montgomerie. “When I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t,” he said. “I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.” There was a firm “no” to whether or not his belief has wavered during turbulent times.

News of the Woods broadside reached the 61-year-old Montgomerie quickly. “If golf writers want my thoughts on Tiger please ask me direct, rather than taking a quote from an interview out of context,” he said on social media. “Wishing Tiger an enjoyable and successful week.”

This was as punchy as Woods has been for some time. He was more expansive on the subject of the Ryder Cup captaincy, which he passed over after months of ­negotiations with the PGA of America. The ­38-year-old Keegan Bradley was revealed as the shock choice to lead the US at ­Bethpage next September after Woods determined the role was not for him. The likelihood is Woods will be captain at Adare Manor in 2027. For now, he is immersed in ­negotiations that may or may not lead to the PGA Tour forming an ­alliance with the Saudi Arabian Public ­Investment ­Fund.

“The decision was very difficult for me to make,” Woods said. “My time has been so loaded with the Tour and what we’re trying to accomplish. I’m on so many different subcommittees that it just takes so much time in the day. I’m always on calls.

“I told Seth [Waugh, the PGA of America’s chief executive] that I just didn’t feel like I could do the job properly. I couldn’t devote the time. I barely had enough time to do what I’m doing right now. And add in the TGL [a tech-infused golf league] starts next year, as well as the Ryder Cup. You add all that together and then with our negotiations with the PIF, all that concurrently going on at exactly the same time, there’s only so many hours in the day.

“I just didn’t feel like I would be doing the captaincy or the players in Team USA justice if I was the captain with everything that I have to do.

“Keegan is going to be a great leader. He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s very passionate about the event. This is going to be probably a turnover year for us for the captaincies, whether it’s the captain itself and his vice-captains. This is the natural progression, one we’ve been looking forward to.” Woods has not been asked to serve as a vice-captain to Bradley.

An indication that tales of Woods’s demise may be premature came in context of the PGA Tour’s lucrative set of signature events. Starting in 2025, Woods has a lifetime ­exemption into them. This seems a futile ­exercise if he has no intention of playing.

“I told them, if I was going to get that exemption I wasn’t going to take away the last player’s spot,” said Woods. “Let’s hypothetically say there’s 72 players in the field at each one of the signature events. If I want to play, I’ll be the 73rd player. There will be an odd man and be a twosome out or whatever.

“I’m not going to take another ­person’s spot. Even though it’s nice of them to do that and ask me to play more often and have that ­ability to play, these guys have earned their spots. But if I can be included ­somehow, that would be great.”

Woods revealed he made ­contact with Rory McIlroy after the ­Northern Irishman’s painful implosion at ­Pinehurst last month. McIlroy conceded the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau after dropping three shots in the last four holes. “I just sent him a nice text, that was it,” Woods said. “I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down. I know he was being besieged by a lot of ­different things.

“It was just basically, ‘I’m your friend. I know this is a ­difficult moment.’ We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there, and it’s going to be there for, I’m sure, some time. The faster he’s able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better it is for him.”

McIlroy later explained he had changed his number so did not receive Woods’s sentiment. Unlike on Montgomerie, this was a message that did not land.

Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake have been given the green light to convert a cinema in St Andrews into a luxury sports bar despite a petition against the plans.

Golf legend Tiger Woods and pop icon Justin Timberlake have been granted permission to transform an old cinema in St Andrews into a high-end sports bar.

The duo, who are shareholders in the Nexus Luxury Collection, have received approval from Fife Council to convert the New Picture House Cinema.

St Andrews, often referred to as the ‘home of golf’, has hosted the Open Championship 30 times, with the most recent event in 2022 won by Cameron Smith. The New Picture House is conveniently located near the golf course.

In their statement, the council said: “The proposal is considered acceptable in terms of design, detailing and choice of materials; and would protect and enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area.

“As such, the proposal is considered to be in compliance with the relevant policies of the development plan and relevant guidelines.”

The project is expected to create between 40 and 45 jobs. The current owners of the cinema revealed in planning documents that the New Picture House ‘currently runs at under 10 per cent occupancy and is no longer a viable stand-alone cinema operation.’

Last year, Woods and Timberlake launched a luxury T-Squared Social bar in New York, a concept born after a round of golf in the Bahamas, reports the Mirror.

The new venue in St Andrews will bear the same name.

A local petition, amassing over 12,000 signatures last year, fiercely opposed the proposed changes by Woods and Timberlake, claiming it would “strip away a vital part of our town’s identity and history”.

The cinema was described as the “heart and soul of St Andrews”, with the redevelopment plans labelled “deeply alarming”.

However, following significant public pressure, the original redevelopment plans were altered.

The petition organisers later revealed they had engaged in discussions with T-Squared Social, stating: “We believe that their business plans align with our desire to make the cinema a thriving establishment and a pillar of the St Andrews community.”

They added: “After an incredible 12,000 signatures and a successful campaign, they’ve listened to all our concerns, so we have arrived at a position where we are comfortable to work closely together with them for the good of the cinema.”