Tiger Woods’ attempt to win the PGA Championship on Saturday ended with the golf icon withdrawing and posting his worst score for the event in his career. After the end of play on Saturday, Woods talked to pool reporters about the day and his plans for Sunday.
“Well, I’m sore. I know that is for a fact,” Woods told the reporter. “We’ll do some work and see how it goes.” And while the 46-year-old didn’t confirm it at the time, he would later reveal his exit from the competition, confirmed by PGA of America president Jim Richardson. “Tiger Woods has informed us that he is withdrawing from the 2022 PGA Championship,” he said. “We admire Tiger’s valiant effort to compete here at Southern Hills and wish him the best as he continues to recover from his injuries.”
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Woods’ day on the course had him making five consecutive bogeys in a major, the second time he has done it in his entire career. According to ESPN, Woods ended the third round tied for 76th and marked his first early exit from a major championship as a professional.
Fans were also upset with parts of Woods’ game on Saturday, but not directly at the golfer himself. ESPN’s coverage of the event, later shared to the PGA official Twitter feed, showed certain angles of Woods’ performance that left fans livid. According to Fox News, During the critical putting moment on the 13th hole, the network cameras zoomed in on a fan’s photo capturing the shot and not the shot itself.
Viewers at home couldn’t see any of it, with the salt in the wound being that it was Woods’ only birdie of the entire day and followed his five-consecutive bogeys. “What’s more insane: showing a Tiger Woods birdie putt (!), in a major (!!), where he’s on the cut line (!!!), by zooming in on the phone of a fan in the crowd? Or wearing your wedding ring on your pinky finger?,” one fan wrote in response to ESPN’s choice, adding in a little jab to the person with the phone also. “ESPN showing Tiger Woods birdie putt on the 13th hole via a spectators iPhone was ridiculous,” another added. “Showing a spectator’s phone INSTEAD of the live birdie putt by Tiger …. is reprehensible!!!!” a third wrote.
The cold weather has shown the effect of Woods’ injuries on his profession, with more time needed to heal his body. The golf icon took on The Masters, his first major since the accident that left him seriously injured, posting the lowest score of his career at Augusta. The PGA Championship was his second, playing through pain and difficulty that was noticed by others on the course.
“You know, he’s such a phenomenal player,” Wood’s playing partner, South Africa’s Shaun Norris, said on Saturday. “You feel sorry for him having to go through this. But then again, you also see the type of person he is, that he grinds through everything and he pushes himself through all of the pain. It’s not easy to see a guy like him have to go through that and struggle like that.”
The next major Woods could attempt is the U.S. Open in mid-June at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. He hasn’t given any firm indication for that event, but was eyeing the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland. The Scottish marquee is July 14-17.
