Tiger Woods checked off another milestone at the Masters. Playing his 100th round in competition at Augusta National Golf Club, the five-time champion carded a 5-over 77 to finish his tournament at 16 over. At the time Woods walked off the 18th green, he was last among those who made the cut, and his 16 over marked both the worst score to par in his major career and second-worst score to par as a professional.
Woods' 26th Masters featured both high and low points. The 48-year-old secured the longest made cut streak in Masters history on Friday when he locked up his 24th consecutive weekend appearance after shooting opening rounds of 73-72. He entered the weekend inside the top 25 with an outside shot at contention but went in the wrong direction on Moving Day.
The 15-time major champion signed for the highest score in his major championship career in Round 3 with a 10-over 82, matching his major high in relation to par.
"It was a good week," Woods said. "It was a good week all around. I think that coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, yesterday, it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. Today, the round that I -- the way that Tom [Kim] is playing, I thought I had in my system. Unfortunately, I didn't produce it."
Tiger looked much more comfortable around Augusta National early Sunday. With his son, Charlie, aiding him on the practice area ahead of his tee time, Woods once again got off to a nice start. He made birdie on the par-5 2nd for the first time all week after finding the surface in two. And then the mistakes began to pile up.
A bogey on No. 3 was the result of a poor approach into a devilish hole location. After a par on No. 4, Woods lost his tee shot right on the long par-4 5th. He went back to the tee box shooting three, and once he finally reached the green, he needed three putts to find the bottom of the cup and post a triple-bogey 7 on his scorecard. The score represents Woods' fifth triple bogey or worse in his Masters career with the last coming in 2020 when he made a 10 on the par-3 12th during the final round.
Woods got in a groove over the next couple hours rattling off eight straight pars. He gave himself numerous birdie chances during this stretch, including a good look on No. 10, but Tiger failed to capitalize and often left putts short. The par streak came to an end courtesy of a bogey on the par-5 15th and put Tiger at 5 over on his day. Three pars later, including a nifty up-and-in from the greenside bunker on 16, put the finishing touches on Woods' 77.
When Woods walked off the green on 16, he made sure to pay respect to another legend, CBS broadcaster Verne Lundquist. A staple in the 16th tower over the last 40 Masters, Lundquist is calling his final event at Augusta National on Sunday.
Linked forever by the 16th hole at Augusta National.
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 14, 2024
Verne Lundquist looks on at Tiger Woods as he prepares to call his final broadcast at the Masters. pic.twitter.com/l0SuoVH086
With Tiger's trip around the 2024 Masters in the books, some were left wondering when he would next traverse a golf course in competition. Woods previously stated he would play all four majors, which puts him in line to play the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla next month. He skipped last year's PGA Championship at Oak Hill due to injury and was forced to withdraw from the championship the year prior after a third-round 79.
"This is a golf course I knew going into it, so I'm going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and [Royal] Troon, but that's kind of the game plan," Woods said. "It's always nice coming back here because I know the golf course, I know how to play it. I can kind of simulate shots. Granted, it's never quite the same as getting out here and doing it. Same thing, I heard there's some changes at the next couple sites. So, got to get up there early and check them out."
