Tiger Woods underwent ankle surgery shortly after the Masters in April and hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since. And it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back anytime soon.
According to Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Woods will not be in the field for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, July 20-23.
“We have been advised that he won’t be playing at Hoylake,” said Mike Woodcock of the R&A via email to SI.
Woods is a three-time Champion Golfer of the Year: 2000 and 2005 at St Andrews and 2006 at Royal Liverpool. The 15-time major champion played in the 150th edition of the Open last year, but missed the cut at the Old Course.
Notable LIV golfers exempt include Cam Smith, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Martin Slumbers and the R&A have been an open book in regard to the impending decision on whether LIV Golf members would be allowed to play in the Open.
Then, at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October, Slumbers reiterated his message to Golf Digest: “We’ll go public in January/February with what we are going to do with regard to LIV golfers. But if you want a guide, go back to what I said in July. We’re not banning anyone. We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open.”
He’s kept his word.
The R&A has officially announced that qualifying LIV members will be allowed to play in the 151st edition at Royal Liverpool in July.
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As it stands now, some of the notable LIV golfers exempt into the tournament include Cam Smith, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.
“We have created an exciting schedule of events which takes in many regions around the world and provides the chance for golfers to earn a place in the Open at Royal Liverpool,” said Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, the R&A’s executive director of champions. “We are grateful to our colleagues at the professional tours for their support and look forward to seeing who emerges from each event to book a sought-after place in the Championship this year.”
The Open is now the third major championship to announce LIV participation is approved, joining the Masters and U.S. Open.
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“If the game is not played with high value and respect, I have no chance to grow the game.”
The 151st Open Championship is in 264 days. We’re a long way from the opening tee shot at Royal Liverpool, a venue last visited in 2014 where now world No. 1 Rory McIlroy captured his Claret Jug.
However, we won’t have to wait that long to hear the R&A’s plans for LIV Golf members.
Fast forward three months and his message remains the same.
“We’ll go public in January/February with what we are going to do with regard to LIV golfers. But if you want a guide, go back to what I said in July. We’re not banning anyone. We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open,” Slumbers told Golf Digest this week at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship hosted by the R&A, the Asia-Pacific Golf Federation and the Masters.
“What we will do is ensure that there are appropriate pathways and ways to qualify. I’m looking forward to seeing Cam Smith tee up around 9:40 a.m. on the first day of the Open next year. The Open needs to set itself aside from what’s going in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle, which is to have the best players in the world competing.”
Martin Slumbers, the CEO of The R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, speaks to the media during his pre-tournament news conference ahead of the 150th Open at St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)
Smith, the current Champion Golfer of the Year, is now a member of the Greg Norman-led circuit backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
At St. Andrews earlier this year, Norman was excluded from the Champions Challenge and Champions dinner.
“With everything that was going on, it was clear to me that there was a reason why he wanted to be there this year,” Slumbers said. “If he had been there, it would have been about noise. The Open has to be distinct from all that. I didn’t want to have noise between two rival tours and two big personalities. It would have overshadowed what was happening that week.
“I wanted the 150th Open to be special and perfect. I didn’t want other issues going on around it, ones that would have undermined it in the eyes of the public. I was very polite and very deferential to Greg. I asked him to understand my perspective. And I did so privately. I did not make it public. I never said anything and never commented on it.
“That week was supposed to be about the first event in our game’s history reaching its 150th playing. On arguably the greatest course in the world. I was never going to lose focus on that.”
In regards to our fractured game, Slumbers understands the consequences of splitting the talent pool.
“To me, this is not about ‘them and us.’ I have no issue with the players. People play for a living. I note that Saudi Arabia wants to invest a lot of money in the game I love and care about,” he said. “That’s a good thing. But I want to preserve the pathways and meritocracy on which our game is built. Sport without that isn’t sport. So I want to make sure we have the best players competing week in and week out.
“If the game is not played with high value and respect, I have no chance to grow the game. Maybe the consequence of where we are is that we only get to see all of the very best players together four times a year. So we’ll enjoy it four times a year.”
Looking ahead to 2023, just to make you feel a bit better about how far we are from meaningful golf, the Masters begins in 158 days.
If Smith leaves, it’d be a gigantic blow to the PGA Tour.
What a week.
Rory McIlroy entered the final round with a four-stroke (with Viktor Hovland) lead, shot a bogey-free 2-under 70 and lost by two strokes.
Cameron Smith was on another planet with the putter.
His up and down on 17 will go down as one of the best in the golf’s recent history and that was only one of the spectacular shots he hit on his way to hoisting (and drinking out of) the Claret Jug.
Now rumors are swirling he way be the next big name headed to LIV.
This week on the Twilight 9 podcast, Andy Nesbitt and I quickly discuss the rumors but focus on his outstanding final-round comeback.
We also cover McIlroy’s missed chance, Tiger’s (possible) final walk across the Swilcan Bridge, Cameron Young and much more.
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Rory McIlroy entered Sunday’s final round of the 150th Open Championship with a share of a four-stroke lead and just about everyone at the Old Course at St. Andrews on his side.
Hours later he walked off the 18th green with a despondent look on his face, having fallen just short in a major yet again. His tap in for par on the final hole left him two strokes behind the winner, the brilliant Cameron Smith, and alone in third place.
Usually when someone blows a four-stroke lead in the final round of a major words like “choke” come up. But here’s the thing with Rory’s performance over the final 18 holes yesterday – it wasn’t bad, it was just OK and he’ll look back at this day for the rest of his life and remember that if he was just a little bit better he would have picked up what would have most likely been the biggest win of his career.
Rory didn’t choke on Sunday. Not even close. He just wasn’t great, which is something you need to be to wrap up a major championship. Cameron Smith was great yesterday, shooting a 64 with six birdies on the back 9 to win his first major. His performance down the stretch should be talked about for a long time because he went out there and won the damned thing. And then he had a great line about filling the Claret Jug with beers.
Rory, on the other hand, was just… OK. He had two birdies on his card and and no bogeys, which is stunning because usually a final round collapse involves bad shots and big scores. Rory shot a 2-under 70 and didn’t get an invite to the trophy presentation. Golf is a sick game, which is something that you know if you’ve ever picked up a club and tried to make it through 18 holes without feeling any sense of disappointment along the way.
Being OK on a Sunday at a major just doesn’t cut it. Rory learned that harsh lesson yesterday and he learned it in front of thousands of fans who were all craving what would have been a hell of a celebration on the 18th hole with McIlroy hoisting the Claret Jug toward the heavens while standing on the grounds where this beautiful game began.
Instead, Rory will forever look back his Sunday at St. Andrews and think about the few putts that just missed, putts that if they had fallen would have lifted him to a win for the ages.
That win would have been his first major in eight years, which is a narrative he would likely love to put an end to. I know I’m sick of it, and I’m guessing he must loathe it.
That win would have been one of the greatest moments in the history of the game and would have been quite an ending to what was such a special week at St. Andrews.
It’s a shame he didn’t have his best stuff on Sunday at St. Andrews. But as he said afterwards, there will be more major championship and he can’t wait to contend again in those.
And we all can’t wait to see him back in those situations. Hopefully, though, next time he’s just a little bit more than OK.
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Rory McIlroy was all class after falling short at St. Andrews.
Rory McIlroy had a share of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the 150th Open Championship and just just about every fan on the legendary grounds of St. Andrews rooting for him to win his first major in eight years.
Cameron Smith stormed back with six birdies over the last nine holes on Sunday to win his first major championship in style at the 150th Open Championship at the historic Home of Golf, St. Andrews.
Smith and his beautiful mullet ended up winning by a stroke after Cam Young eagled the 18th hole. Rory McIlroy finished in a disappointing third place after not being able to hit any key putts in his final round.
It’s been quite a year for Smith. He won the Players Championship in March and now has his first major championship.
Moments after his win he was asked how he was going to celebrate. His answer was perfect:
Cameron Smith on how he’ll celebrate winning #TheOpen: “I’m definitely gonna find out how many beers fit in this thing” 🍻
Golf fans were so in awe of Cameron Smith’s win. And his mullet.
Rory McIlroy was the fan-favorite heading into Sunday’s final round of the 150th Open Championship but he wasn’t the one lifting the Claret Jug at the end of the day.
Instead, it was the man with the beautiful mustache and mullet – Cameron Smith – winning the final major of the year in dramatic fashion with six birdies over the final nine holes.
Smith, who won the Players Championship in March, won his first major on Sunday thanks to his incredibly hot putter. He took over the lead on the back nine and never gave Mcllroy or others a chance to take it from him.
The final round of the 150th Open Championship has been a great one so far, with a number of big names battling it out for the Claret Jug at St. Andrews.
Rory McIlroy entered Sunday with a share of the 54-hole lead and has been playing well in the final round but he lost his lead on the back nine to a red-hot Cameron Smith.
Tensions have been high coming down the stretch and nothing summed that up more than a young Rory fan who was seen crossing his fingers before McIlroy’s tee shot on the 16th hole.
This kid gets it:
This young @McIlroyRory fan crossing his fingers for Rory as he drives is too pure for words. #TheOpen
