Fans Call for Tiger Woods to Retire After Round-1 Struggles at 2022 British Open
July 14, 2022
Tiger Woods' first appearance at the Open Championship in three years did not get off to a rousing start.
The three-time British Open champion finished with a six-over-par 78 Thursday. He was plus-six through his first seven holes thanks to two double-bogeys and two bogeys.
The 78 ties Woods' second-worst single-round score in his career at this tournament. He also carded a 78 in the opening round of the 2019 Open Championship. The 46-year-old's worst score was an 81 in the third round of the 2002 tournament at Muirfield.
Despite being just his third appearance in a PGA Tour event since returning from the 2021 car crash that resulted in compound fractures in both of his legs, fans sounded off on Woods' performance Thursday.
Some fans even called for Woods to retire out of fear he is doing damage to his legacy:
Woods was asked about the possibility of retiring while talking to Sky Sports on Tuesday.
"Who, me? Retire? No," he responded. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m not retiring. Am I not playing a full schedule. Yes. I’ve told you guys that many times. That’s just my reality. I don’t like it, but I just have to accept it."
Even though some fans were ready to attack Woods for his performance, there were some brief moments of solid play that showed he is capable of good things.
On the par-four ninth and 10th holes, Woods made back-to-back birdies that got his score down to four over par.
Those good feelings didn't last long, as Woods gave his two shots back with bogeys on No. 11 and 13. He did look better on the back nine despite those bogeys, finishing one over par in the second half of his round.
The frustration some fans might feel with how Woods plays doesn't take away from how miraculous it is that he's even able to keep doing this given how bleak things seemed in the immediate aftermath of his car crash.
Odds of Woods competing for a title this weekend were always an incredible long shot. The 15-time major champion may have hoped to play all four rounds at St. Andrews. He potentially could with a low score Friday.
As things stand, though, Woods will probably just be grateful he was able to play at the Open Championship for the first time since 2019.