Tiger Woods has hinted that he does not expect to play another Open Championship round at St Andrews after missing the cut on Friday.
After shooting a six-over-par round on Thursday, Woods acknowledged that he would have to reverse that score to have any chance of extending his stay in the tournament into the weekend.
While the 15-time Major champion produced a more solid performance on Friday, he recorded just one birdie, ending his two rounds on nine-over-par.
Despite his exit from the tournament having long been decided, Woods was emotional walking up the 18th fairway as he was greeted by widespread applause from the gallery.
Commenting on the scenes during the final minutes of his round, the 46-year-old admitted that he does not envisage playing another Open round at St Andrews, a venue that he has always described as his favourite having won two of his three Open titles at the course.
Spine-tingling scenes as Tiger Woods soaks in the appreciation from the fans at the18th 👏🥺 pic.twitter.com/guLLUGD1Im
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 15, 2022
Speaking to Sky Sports, Woods said: "It was very emotional for me. I've been coming here since 1995 and the next one comes around in 2030 but I don't know if I will be physically able to play, so this felt to me like it will be last time to play at St. Andrews.
"I came to understand what Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer) felt in the past and I felt that way. They understand what golf is all about and what it takes to be an Open champion.
"I have been lucky enough to win here twice - it felt emotional because I don't know whether I will be able to play when it comes back here."
Woods had been featuring in just his third professional tournament - all of them being Majors - since suffering a multiple break of his leg in a car accident at the start of 2021.
As it stands, it is unclear when Woods will return to competitive action with no Major due to take place until next year's Masters in April.
Darren Plant
