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Tiger Woods struggled again at the Open Championship, shooting 79-77 to miss the cut in his third straight major (he’s withdrawn or missed the cut in six of his last major starts over the past three years). This also comes just days after a Colin Montgomerie interview spread in which Montgomerie suggested Woods consider retiring. While Woods’ comments this week doesn’t make it sound like that’s happening soon, do you think he’ll ever actually be competitive in a major again?
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): I still think there’s a chance, at some point, that the draw and weather align. His body feels good, he gets 5-6 days of (mostly) pain-free golf and rides a streaky putter to contend in a major. But he’s said it so many times before that he simply can’t get the reps in to prepare for majors without risking injury for the majors. He’ll never be a guarantee to make every single major cut (who is, these days, besides Scottie Scheffler?) but I’m still optimistic he’s got a final flash or two in him. Other times, however, I wonder if what we are waiting for — everything to align perfectly for him — already came via the 2019 Masters, making it even more difficult for lightning to strike twice. But whether he contends or not, I think he’ll stay out there a while as long as he’s not shooting high-80s scores or some embarrassing number. He still means too much to the game and fans would rather see him battle to make the cut than not at all.
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): I do not — and I haven’t since his car accident in 2021. The talent is still there, but his body simply can’t handle the grind of a full week at a major championship. It’s why we’ll see him put together a solid start at Augusta only to fade as the week progresses. When his legs are fresh he’s still got the stuff to compete with the best, but as the week goes on his body begins to wear down and he can’t play up to his full abilities. If he were playing in a cart I’d have some optimism that he could win another major, but the wear and tear of a full week on his feet makes the proposition of another major win highly unlikely. Those with rose-colored glasses might point to his comeback and win at the 2019 Masters as evidence that he can defy the odds, but that was an entirely different Tiger from a physical standpoint. He’s said he doesn’t want to become a “ceremonial golfer,” but I’m afraid that day is already here.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Yes — with a caveat. The thought is he goes into the lab over the next five months, we see something different at the Hero — stronger foundation, perhaps — and he takes advantage of the new provision that’ll let him play in the Signatures next, allowing him reps. But if it’s the majors only, like it mostly was this year, then no. If the body can’t sustain it, then he won’t contend. He said as much himself. But I’d totally think a Tiger Woods playing 10-12 events a year would contend at a Masters, where he’s familiar with every inch of grass, or at an Open Championship, where the mental game is maybe the biggest weapon required to contend.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Yes, I think he’ll contend in another major. But I’ll also acknowledge that — like plenty of my colleagues in the golf media — I have a major blind spot when it comes to Tiger Woods. It’s tough to separate the real chances of him contending from my desire to see what a spectacle it would be if he did. My concerns, in one sentence: It was easy to say it was just the injuries when he was so clearly unhealthy. My optimism, in one sentence: He looks healthier and he’s come back to shock us before. I think he’ll contend again even as I acknowledge that “I think” and “I hope” are probably tough to unwrap with Tiger more than anyone else.
