There’s no easy way to say it. No way to sugarcoat it. Tiger Woods just didn’t have it on Friday at the Memorial Tournament.
Woods wasn’t able to keep his ball in the fairway or make a putt throughout the second round at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, leaving him visually frustrated en route to a 4-over 76. Woods walked off the course T-72 at 3 over, one shot off the then-projected cut line at 2 over. The 82-time winner on Tour has made the cut in his 17 previous appearances at Jack’s place.
Starting on the back nine alongside world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Brooks Koepka, Woods three-putted on two of his first four holes to set the theme for the day: sloppy play. After a birdie on No. 12, Woods made bad bogeys on Nos. 13, 15 (a par 5) and 17, making the turn at 2 over despite welcoming conditions all morning. In Thursday’s first round, Woods battled gusting winds to a ho-hum 1-under 71.
The struggles continued on the front for Woods with a double bogey on No. 1 and a pair of bogeys on Nos. 2 and 6. A birdie on the par-5 7th (despite once again missing the fairway) set the stage for a last-minute run at the cut. He followed suit with a 19-foot birdie putt on No. 8 before a poor tee shot on No. 9, his final hole, forced Woods to scramble for par.