Tiger Woods appeared for an 18-hole practice round — his first round at Royal Troon Golf Club in 20 years — ahead of the 152nd Open Championship, which begins on Thursday in Scotland.
The three-time British Open winner, flew overnight from Florida, per Sports Illustrated. Tiger, who rarely plays full practice rounds the week of majors, mainly focused on chipping, putting, and working out of deep bunkers, according to ESPN. Tiger played solo, with his caddie Sam Bennett.
In his limited appearances in 2024, Tiger has consistently cited rustiness, particularly with his short game, as more of a hindrance than his physical state. These days, the vast majority of Tiger’s preparation is devoted to his body, rather than his golf game.
🚨🏴📸 #PHOTOS: Tiger cracks a smile as he and caddie Lance Bennett tour all 18 holes at Royal Troon on Sunday. (Via R&A / Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/mPVLOwmw4E
— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) July 14, 2024
The 48-year-old has made four appearances on the PGA Tour this season. In February, he withdrew from his host tournament, the Genesis Invitational, in the second round due to illness. He made a record 24th consecutive cut at the Masters, ultimately finishing 60th. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.
After his overall quality showing at Pinehurst No. 2 came up two strokes short of the weekend number, the 15-time major champion wondered aloud about his future as a consistent major entrant.
“Well, it’s one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can’t win the tournament from where I’m at, so it certainly is frustrating. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work out.”
Tiger has made 10 total PGA Tour starts since his car accident in Feb. 2021. The year’s final major is expected to be the final official appearance of 2024 for the 82-time PGA Tour champion.
“I’ve only got one more tournament this season, so I’m not going to — I don’t think even if I win the British Open I don’t think I’ll be in the [FedEx Cup] Playoffs,” Tiger said. “Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.“As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”Tiger has made 22 British Open starts. (The Old Course is his self-described favorite venue in the world).
In two prior starts at Royal Troon, Woods has a T24 (1997) and T9 (2004). He missed the 2016 event due to a back injury.
Last week, Keegan Bradley was shockingly announced as the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain — a position expected to go to Tiger. Woods cited behind-the-scenes responsibilities as a PGA Tour executive for bowing out.
A slew of notable Open Championship hopefuls joined Tiger at Royal Troon on Sunday. Those spotted playing practice rounds included World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, 2021 Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama, 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris, Ryan Fox, Jason Day, Tony Finau, and Sam Burns.
