It remains to be seen if one of golf’s greatest icons played his last professional shot at one of the sport’s most iconic venues, but if this was to be a farewell, then it was a fitting send-off.
“Fans, standing ovations and warmth – it was an incredible feeling,” Woods told reporters.
“As I got closer to the lawn… the ovation got louder, you felt warm and you could feel people on both sides. It felt like the whole tournament was right there.”
Playing on his favorite pitch again was the 46-year-old’s main goal during the grueling recovery process he endured after a car accident in February 2021 that left him with serious leg injuries.
This left him in need of a miracle to shorten and extend his potential farewell tour into the weekend. Despite an improvement in the second round, a series of agonizingly short punches wiped out any slim chance of a legendary comeback as he finished nine over par.
And with the Open potentially not returning to the “home of golf” until 2030, Woods admitted that he may have played his last Open at that location.
“I’m not leaving the game, but I don’t know if I can physically play here again when everything comes back,” Woods said.
“Yes, I will be able to play in the future British Open, but eight years from now I doubt I can be competitive at this level.
“Life goes on and I think that’s what people understand. They knew my circumstances this year when I was just playing, period. I was very lucky to have a great team around me that took me to a place where I could physically play once this year and I am very grateful to all of them for taking me to this place.”
Fanfare
With an estimated 290,000 spectators around the Old Course this week, for most of the first two days of the event, it seemed like most of them followed Woods around the course, such was the fanfare wherever he went.
Whenever he was on the court with the ball, a crowd gathered behind the ropes, and three particularly enthusiastic Woods fans were dressed head to toe in Tiger costumes. Despite only shooting four birdies in the first two rounds, each one was met with a roar from the crowd that suggested he was once again in contention for top spot on the leaderboard.
His level of respect among the other players was also evident: Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, who were moving down the adjacent first tee as Woods went 18th, both raised their caps as he passed.
Previously the world is gone. 1 Scotty Sheffler said he hoped he didn’t see the last time Woods was in St. Louis. Andrews.
“He’s a pretty tough guy and loves to compete,” he told reporters.
“Let’s see what he has in store for us in the next few years. Every time you see this guy on the golf course, especially on the Old Course, it’s really special.
“For us players, having him around is pretty cool. When he got into a car accident, we didn’t know if we would get him back. The fact that he plays here, plays golf, is something special for all of us. “
