Open Championship Removes Tiger Woods From Featured Groups After Dismal First Round

Getty Image / Pedro Salado

Despite not really being a contender to win anymore, Tiger Woods is still the biggest draw in all of golf, and galleries flock to watch him play. He is still an absolute rock star on the course.

But, at this stage, he’s simply not competitive. He made yet another cut at The Masters back in April, but things didn’t go well in the PGA Championship or US Open, missing the cut in both.

Due to the cold and wet conditions that often mark an Open Championship, it was always going to be tough sledding for Tiger Woods, whose surgically repaired skeleton performs better in warmer and dryer conditions that allow his muscles to get loose.

Those conditions impacted the entire field in Thursday’s first round at Royal Troon, as stars like Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau had terrible rounds. It affected Tiger Woods, too, as he shot a 79 (8), fourteen shots behind surprise leader Danny Brown.

His body didn’t look that bad, actually. But, his game was simply not polished, especially around and on the greens. It was not the Tiger we watched win 15 majors, sadly.

Traditionally, when the major championships select featured groups that get dedicated streaming coverage on all 18 holes,  Tiger Woods is always included in the featured groups. After all, fans want to see Tiger.

But, the Open Championship has taken the plunge. Tiger Woods will NOT be in a featured group tomorrow, as his group of Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and himself was not selected.

Now, they can probably get away with it with Tiger’s fan base due to the fact that he tees off at 4:25 AM ET tomorrow and is fourteen shots back. But, I hope they don’t make it a habit. Even though I know he probably won’t contend, I love watching Tiger play in the majors.