Tiger Woods at Farmers Insurance Open 2017: Friday Score and Reaction

Tiger Woods missed the cut at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open after failing to make a Friday charge at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California. He posted an even-par 72 in the second round to leave him at four over through two days, four shots below the projected cut line. 

The 14-time major champion, who last played on the PGA Tour in August 2015, never found a rhythm in his first appearance of the year. His struggles off the tee—he hit just 50 percent of the fairways across two rounds—doomed him at a venue where he owns eight career victories.

Let's check out the scorecard from his trip around the easier North Course in Round 2 after he finished with a four-over 76 on the South Course on Thursday:

Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	IN
Par	5	4	3	4	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	36
Total	+3	+3	+4	+4	+4	+4	+4	+4	+4	-
Par	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	36
Score	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	5	36
Total	+4	+4	+5	+5	+4	+4	+4	+4	+4	-

And here's a look at the updated tournament leaderboard, via PGA.com:

Woods tried to remain optimistic heading into Friday despite a forgettable finish to his first official PGA Tour outing in 17 months. Kevin Casey of Golfweek passed along the 41-year-old superstar's comments about his ability to prevent the round from getting totally away from him.

"I fought my tail off out there, I fought hard. It was nice to put together a round when I wasn't hitting it that great early," Woods said Thursday. "I was in a good spot to really shoot a good round today. I didn't really have my best stuff early, but I got through there. And that's one of the positives I'm going to take out of it."

Alas, it was more of the same in the second round. He opened the day with a birdie on the 10th, which for a brief moment made it feel like he could at least push toward making the weekend, but he never ended up making a serious surge.

The PGA Tour did spotlight the early birdie:

His play showcased the difference between an event like the Hero World Challenge, which he played in early December, and a normal tour event.

Woods played quite well for extended stretches in the Bahamas, highlighted by a bogey-free 65 in the second round. While everybody understood it was only an exhibition event, it still started to raise expectations about what he was capable of in 2017.

Take away the easily hittable fairways and the 18-player field, however, and it's clear how much work lies ahead if he wants to compete at a high level again.

Only once during his two rounds did he post back-to-back birdies. That came to open the back nine Thursday, and he followed it up by dropping five strokes over the next four holes.

There were a few promising signs, though.

The biggest one was his short game. After a period before the extended layoff when even the simplest chips turned into an adventure for Woods, he looked far more comfortable working around the greens this week, pushing aside any concerns about the yips. At least for now.

He also played the par-five holes much better Friday. Those were his bread and butter during his peak years, to the point that they almost felt like an automatic birdie or better. He was only even on the South Course's four par fives, but he played the North Course's quartet in two under.

The bottom line is there won't be a sudden, dramatic rise back to the top of the sport. It's going to take some time for him to string two, and then four, strong rounds together.

ESPN Stats & Info noted Woods' lackluster form before and after the back injury:

Justin Ray of Golf Channel exhibited the trend in the bigger picture:

Those troubling numbers aside, Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker did see progress:

Looking ahead, the biggest takeaway from this event will be the fact Woods played 36 holes without any noticeable sign of health problems. He spent a lot of time in the deep, thick rough and often got forced to hack his second shot into the fairway. He did so without any tweaks or twinges.

That's crucial because the Farmers Insurance Open marked the start of four tournaments in five weeks, a major test of his durability. Up next is a long plane ride to the United Arab Emirates for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which starts Thursday.

If Woods can make it through all of those events with his health intact, it will be a massive step in the right direction, regardless of how he plays along the way. That said, expect to start seeing incremental gains on a weekly basis for as long as he avoids any physical setbacks.

Post-Round Reaction

The PGA Tour relayed Woods' meeting with the media after missing the cut:

Most notably, the 79-time winner on the PGA Tour felt he was a clutch shot or putt away from getting on the roll he needed to turn things around, per Tiger Tracker: "I just didn't get things going. I was close. I just needed one to go in."