Tiger Woods Unsure If He'll Play British Open When It Returns to St. Andrews

Tiger Woods suggested Friday that he may not play the Open Championship the next time it is held at St. Andrews in Scotland.

After shooting a three-over 75 in Friday's second round, Tiger discussed what it meant to him to return to St. Andrews and why he may not be back:

Woods said, "I don't know if I'll be able to play when it comes back around here," before adding, "To me, it felt like it might have been my last British Open at St. Andrews."

The 15-time major champion referenced the physical toll of playing at St. Andrews as the primary reason he may sit out the next time the Open Championship is held there.

Woods, who is a three-time Open Championship winner with two of those wins at St. Andrews, is near the bottom of the field through two rounds at nine over, well over the projected cut line of even par.

Since suffering significant leg injuries in a February 2021 car accident, Woods has dealt with leg pain during his rounds and has played sparingly.

The 46-year-old veteran made his return to the course at the Masters in April and also played the PGA Championship. Woods made the cut at both events but pulled out of the PGA Championship after 54 holes because of the pain.

Tiger subsequently sat out the U.S. Open in order to rest and put himself in position to play the Open Championship, but his struggles were evident.

Woods went outside his usual 2022 routine to prepare for the Open Championship, playing an 18-hole practice round at St. Andrews after only playing nine-hole practice rounds prior to the Masters and PGA Championship.

If Woods has indeed played his final Open at St. Andrews, it ends a historic run, as he is one of only six players in the history of golf to win multiple Open Championships at the course.

It hasn't yet been announced when the next Open Championship will be held at St. Andrews, but Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports noted it won't be until 2026 at the earliest.

That means Woods will have at least three more cracks at winning an Open Championship before then if he is physically able to play, although he has to be considered an underdog to win another major title given the results he has had this year.