Tiger Woods cards 2nd-round 73, misses cut at 2024 U.S. Open - ESPN

PINEHURST, N.C. — As 15-time major champion Tiger Woods watched his putt roll down the green on the 15th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday, he took a half-step off the fringe, anticipating that his ball was about to fall in the cup.

Instead, Woods suddenly stopped and stared in disbelief as his ball lipped out, denying him a birdie he desperately needed to make the cut in the 124th U.S. Open.

«Yeah, 15 hurt,» Woods said after the round. «That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I'm looking pretty good on the last three holes. Instead, I'm on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes.»

With the projected 36-hole cut at 5 over, and Woods sitting at 6 over, he had to make a birdie on the final three holes to stick around for the weekend.

The three-time U.S. Open winner hit a great approach after pulling his tee shot into pine straw on No. 16, but his ball didn't hold the green. He didn't hit a putt back up the green hard enough and made a bogey. Then Woods nearly holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker on No. 17 but settled for par on the last two holes.

Woods, 48, carded a 3-over 73 in the second round and was 7-over 147 after 36 holes. He missed the cut by 2 strokes.

«Well, it was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,» Woods said. «I hit a lot of good shots that just didn't quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple bad spots with some bad lag putts. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.»

Woods has missed the cut four times in his past five starts in the U.S. Open; he last made the cut when he tied for