LEADER BOARD
Returning to Pinehurst this week, Woods did not have the success hoped for with cards of 74 and 73, putting him at the head of a contingent of star players who will not be in action for the weekend’s rounds while the cut was established at +5 on the difficult course no. 2 at Pinehurst.
For Woods, this is the 13th consecutive round without losing a stroke at a major tournament, the longest streak of his career. He missed the cut or struck out in five of his last six starts in the majors.
“To win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut,” Woods said. I can’t win the tournament where I am, so it’s frustrating. I thought I played well enough to be in contention. It just didn’t work. »
Woods, who received a special exemption from the USGA to play in the tournament, was asked if this could be his last US Open.
“As for my last British Open or US Open, I don’t know when that will be,” he replied. ” Is it possible or not. »
Woods confirmed that he will only play one tournament this year, the British Open which will be held at the Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland, from July 18 to 21.
Author of a card of 74 from the start, the American with 82 titles on the PGA circuit could still hope to buy himself two additional rounds on Friday afternoon. A birdie on the fourth hole even allowed him to increase the hopes of fans to see Woods on the fairways of course No. 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
However, things started to turn around for Woods next, who made four bogeys. While he was at +6, one shot from the projected cutoff at that time, Woods had a great opportunity to get close to the goal with a chance for birdie on the par-3 15th hole.
Woods’ 16-foot putt, however, just missed the target and he had to settle for a par. The former world No. 1 then made a bogey at the 16th flag, making his chances of avoiding the ax very slim.
Pars at the 17th then at the 18th hole will have confirmed the end of Woods’ course this week. In 22 tournaments before the 2024 edition, Woods had participated in the weekend rounds on 17 occasions, in addition to winning the tournament three times (2000, 2002 and 2008).
Tiger Woods’ two previous visits to Pinehurst as part of a United States Open had been a sign of success, even if he had not triumphed, with a third place in 1999 and a second place in 2005.
Unanswered stars
Like every major tournament, some of the biggest names have run into trouble. The United States Open got the better of several star players, including two who are among the top-10 in the world.
It’s a weekend in the water for world number 6 Viktor Hovland, who was unable to sneak into rounds 3 and 4 despite a good score of 68 (minus 2) in second round Friday.
His six bogeys and two double bogeys from the start on Thursday ultimately prevented him from continuing his work week.
Hovland is not at his first major tournament problems this season. A second round of 81 at Augusta National Golf Club earlier this year also prevented him from qualifying for the weekend rounds of the Masters Tournament.
After a card of 71 on Thursday, world No. 10 Max Homa encountered more difficulties during the second day and he could only do better than a score of 75, which was not enough to survive the cut .
Homa hasn’t had much success at the U.S. Open, having only reached the weekend’s rounds once in six appearances.
Holder of 25th world ranking and former No. 1, Justin Thomas had a tournament to forget and he completed his time at Pinehurst with a cumulative +11. Thomas first handed in an initial card of 77, before following up with a score of 74 on Friday.
Thomas’ troubles in major tournaments therefore continue. In his last seven majors, dating from 2023, Thomas has been unable to avoid the ax on five occasions.
Former champions Webb Simpson (75-73), Lucas Glover (74-79), Justin Rose (73-73), Dustin Johnson (74-75) and Gary Woodland (72-78) were also unable to secure their ticket for the last two rounds.
Disappointment for some Canadians
At the Canadian level, four of the seven representatives will not be in action over the next two days.
The highest-ranked Canadian in the world rankings, Nick Taylor finished his work week with a cumulative +8, the result of two identical cards of 74. He managed only two birdies in 36 holes on the fairways of Pinehurst, compared to ten bogeys.
Adam Hadwin was also deprived of the final rounds after a cumulative +7, just like amateur Asthon McCulloch who was making his first appearance in a major tournament.
Mackenzie Hughes, who was participating in the tournament for the seventh time in her career, finished at the bottom of the rankings with a cumulative 14 shots over par.
His score of 82 on Friday was his worst this season. Hughes notably committed a quadruple bogey on the par-4 hole No. 1 during the second round. Hughes had reached the weekend rounds in each of his last three appearances at the United States Open.
