Open 2009: Flustered Tiger on his way home as errant swing causes him no end of trouble on the Ailsa course

Published on Friday 17 July 2009 23:40

TIGER Woods, an unbackable 2-1 favourite with some bookmakers before the Open championship began, has missed the cut in the oldest major for the first time at Turnberry. "It was just problem after problem," he rued. "I kept compounding my problems out there. I had some high numbers and it cost me a chance on the weekend."

Although Woods prised two birdies over the closing three holes and posted 74 for 145, five over par, the world No 1 came up short of the four under mark required to maintain an impressive track record on Britain's seaside courses. Other than last year, while injured, Woods hadn't finished outside the top 12 in the Open since 2003.

"I played well for seven holes," he reflected, " but, unfortunately, it went the wrong way. I hit some bad tee shots, a couple bad iron shots, didn't get it up-and-down. Kept making mistake after mistake."

It was perhaps the sorest experience of a career so far distinguished primarily by glory. When he missed the cut after 36 holes at the US Open in 2006 at Winged Foot, the tournament was staged so soon (six weeks] after the death of his father, Earl, that no-one raised an eyebrow. His only other mishap in the majors came as an amateur in 1996 when he missed the cut in the Masters at Augusta.

If the pain of bereavement and the inexperience of youth were to blame then, the only explanation for Woods' miserable showing on the Ailsa was a misfiring swing. "You have to play clean cards," he acknowledged, "and I just didn't do it."

Having swung poorly in the first round and more or less got away with it by recording 71, Woods wasn't so fortunate at the second time of asking. While he appeared to steady the ship thanks to a carefully plotted birdie on the 7th – his wedge to a few feet was deftly executed – the American then suffered meltdown around the turn.

The cross-wind blowing off the Firth of Clyde was strongest in this section of the course and Woods' ball flight was far too high to accommodate much in the way of errant ball-striking.

Woods ran up further bogeys at the eighth, where he was bunkered, and the ninth, where a pushed 5 wood into the right rough was to blame for an outward half of 36.

The defining moment in Woods' round came on the tenth tee when he heaved a drive into the deep rough on the right side of the fairway. He's lost a ball in the Open before – on the first hole at Royal St George's in 2003 – but it's not exactly an everyday occurrence.

Forced to play a provisional ball after five minutes of searching for the first one, Woods left a long iron from around 220 yards shy of the green. He chipped and putted for a double bogey 6 and was now four over for the tournament. The three-time Open champion stopped the rot with a par on the 11th but spurned a lengthy par putt on the 12th.

On the 13th, a rescue club landed too firmly and sped through the back of the green. His first chip was executed with far too much finesse and rolled lamely back down the slope. The second attempt stayed aloft but he needed two putts for another double bogey. Needing to dismantle Turnberry's re-shaped denouement to hang around for the weekend, Woods made a brave start on the 16th. He found the middle of fairway, wedged to 18 feet from 130 yards and holed the birdie putt.

Even though the par-5 17th was playing downwind, Tiger was so out of sorts that he stuck with a 5 wood and found the short grass. His fairway wood again found the back of the green. Woods' chip for eagle missed by three feet but the birdie putt was secure.

From the rough on the 18th, Woods' distance control remained erratic and he was through the back of the green once more. Tiger chipped and putted for par.

"I just made mistakes," he said.