British Open: Tiger Woods plays 18-hole practice round at Royal Troon ahead of return

Tiger Woods’ British Open prep is officially off and running.

Woods, after taking an overnight flight from Florida to Scotland on Saturday, played an 18-hole practice round by himself on Sunday at Royal Troon Golf Club, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

Woods spent the round alone, and played only with his caddie, Lance Bennett, by his side as he was seen largely chipping and putting from different angles throughout the course. Tony Finau, Lucas Glover and Jason Day were playing in the group ahead of him, per the report.

Woods has not played anywhere competitively since he missed the cut at the U.S. Open last month. The British Open is expected to be his final outing of 2024.

Woods has struggled to make the cut in his recent outings, both at major championships and otherwise. He just barely made the cut at the Masters in April, and he then missed it at both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. His slip at Pinehurst No. 2 marked the sixth major championship he’s either missed the cut at or withdrawn from in his last nine starts.

After that event in North Carolina, Woods said it “may or may not” have been his final U.S. Open.

Woods has won 15 major championships throughout his career, most recently at the Masters in 2019. He’s won the British Open three times, including back-to-back runs in 2005 and 2006. He last made the cut at the British Open in 2018, when he finished T6 at Carnoustie Golf Links. Woods hasn’t played at Royal Troon since the 2004 British Open — when he finished in a tie for ninth. The course hosted the tournament in 2016, but Woods was recovering from a back injury.

The British Open will kick off on Thursday. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler is the early favorite to win the final major championship of the season on BetMGM, while Woods was listed at +15000 to win as of Sunday night.