Tiger Woods is in for a tough start after missing the cut at the US Open

PINEHURST, NC – The employee was wearing dirty jeans and a bright yellow vest. He sat his work cart, in front of the road crossing in front of box 15 in Pinehurst No. 2, he waited. Another group was entering and had to escape before the volunteers pulled out the ropes and opened the road.

So for now, it was time for a break. Until he saw who was going to leave.

“Hey, Tiger’s at tea,” he said to his friend in the cart behind him. “Let’s go up.”

The grown men got out of their seats and sat near the ropes. They were not alone. Friday evening in Pinehurst, the weekend was very much planned. We knew that Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy would play on Saturday night. We knew that Ludwig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay, whenever they finished, would join them. We knew Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas and Max Homa and Viktor Hovland would go home.

The remaining storylines were few, except for Tiger Woods. He had a late tee time, and the Pinehurst faithful had to wait for him. But the real question was whether he would stay two more days.

Woods shot an unusual 74 on Thursday, which only stands out because he hit it so well (12 of 14 fairways) yet hit his irons so poorly (9 of 18 greens). Usually, it’s the opposite formula. He knew he needed to shoot even par, at least, to make the cut on Friday, but even days aren’t so easy at the US Opens.

When he arrived at the 15th tee, at about 5:30 p.m. local time, Woods had two days a day and six over the tournament. At that time, it was a near certainty that the cut would be more than five, maybe even four. He missed the 11th foot on the par 12th, so he knew what the goal was otherwise. On 13, he missed an 8-footer for birdie. On 14, he couldn’t get the 20-footer out.

Four holes left. He needed a bird. The Village and NBC Sports corporate tents line each side of the par-3. It was still very hot, although the breeze helped. For many people, it was a great way to spend a Friday night, watching Woods chase the weekend spot.

Woods blasted it to 16 feet. It was his last best chance for a birdie, and he knew it. So when he hit the putt and saw it follow the hole he couldn’t help but pick up that front foot of the lead, getting ready to walk away, a move we’ve seen from him hundreds of times. But this one did not follow. Hold it on the edge. Woods bent down. The crowd groaned.

“Yeah, 15 hurt,” Woods said later, after he shot a 73 and missed the cut by two. “When I make that putt, it changes the momentum, and I look good on the last three holes, and instead I’m on the wrong side of the cut line.”

Despite the support of sun-kissed fans sweating outside the ropes, Woods’ 74-73 (seven over) was not good enough to make his first US Open weekend in five years. He also had a birdie shot at 16, but a poor putt behind the green led to a bogey. He split the last two holes.

“My swing, and I feel like my putting is enough to get into contention, and it’s not,” said Woods. “Yes, it worries me because I didn’t come to have a chance to win this weekend.”

Woods answered four questions from the media afterward. One confirmed that he still has one start this season, the Open Championship, and the other led to a sad realization.

Asked if he thought during the week that this could be his last US Open, Woods said, “It may or may not happen.”

It was incredible candor, and it may have struck as a gut-punch to some, but it was also true. Woods doesn’t have a spot in the upcoming US Opens, just like he didn’t this year. He got a special exemption from the USGA, which can basically be granted until he doesn’t want one anymore (and he probably will). Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, among others, also received special exemptions.

But majors (and big weekends) with Tiger Woods, 48, are hardly guaranteed these days. Injury. Car accident. The (lack of) reps. In the past eight years, he has played only half of golf’s majors. Two of those he withdrew from. When he plays the Open Championship next month, it will be the first time in four years that he has played every major.

Woods’s swan song may not come, but his words on Friday night reminded us that nothing lasts forever.

Josh Behow

Golf.com Editor

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow manages the day-to-day and long-term programming of one of the most widely read news and service websites in the sport. He spends most of his days writing, planning, organizing and wondering if he will ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.