Tiger Woods has made it clear that he has no immediate plans to retire from professional golf with his attention already turning to next year after a disappointing opening round at The Open.
The 48-year-old entered 2024 full of optimism at the possibility of playing in events outside of the majors.
But he was still battling the limitations on his body that ultimately meant that wasn’t possible for Woods this year.
Woods still managed to play in all four majors for the first time since 2019, when he famously won the Masters.
Tiger Woods has no plans to walk away any time soon
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But it’s been far from vintage Woods in any of the four majors this year and his opening round at Royal Troon has put him at risk of missing the cut at three consecutive tournaments.
He finished with a round of 79 at eight-over-par heading into the second round.
Despite the disappointing finish, Woods remains optimistic about his game and is already thinking of the 2025 season.
“I’m physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year,” Woods said.
“At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven’t played a whole lot.
“I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better. I just wish I could have played a little bit more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it.
“Hopefully next year will be a little bit better than this year.
“I thought I could play a little bit more earlier in the year. I think I was a little bit too optimistic.
Tiger Woods finished with a round of 79
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“I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing like we have.”
Woods will likely need to shoot under par on Friday in order to be in with a chance of making the cut at The Open.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of things right today,” he said.
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“I made that putt on the third hole, and then I think I had, what, three three-putts today.
“I didn’t hit my irons very close, and I didn’t give myself a whole lot of looks today.
“I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow to get something going on the weekend.”