What Tiger Woods said immediately after missing his first ever major cut as a professional at the 2006 US Open

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Tiger Woods’ first missed cut as a professional golfer came during the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York.

Woods finished 12 over through his two rounds at the daunting Mamaroneck venue, which was the stage for Bryson DeChambeau‘s maiden major championship victory in 2020.

Geoff Ogilvie would go on to claim the title after Phil Mickelson famously made a double-bogey on the 72nd hole, having stood on the tee needing par for victory.

Much like Mickelson, Woods will remember the 2006 edition at Winged Foot for all the wrong reasons.

What Tiger Woods said after missing the cut at the 2006 US Open

The then nine-time major winner headed to Winged Foot, having never missed the cut in any major championship. Tiger’s only missed cut came during the 1996 Masters, where he was still an amateur.

After Woods’ remarkable 2000 US Open victory at Pebble Beach and second title at Bethpage Black two years later, the 30-year-old was looking to add a third US Open win to his resume in New York.

Yet, after struggling at the famed venue, Woods was left to answer plenty of questions during his press conference after Friday’s play.

Woods was asked: “You’ve never missed a cut in a major. Can you talk about that?”

He replied: “It’s not something you want to have happen. I’ve gone, I guess, a while without missing one. Unfortunately I missed this one, and hopefully I can win the British.

“More frustrating than anything else because I was hitting the ball really well. I struggled all week with getting the speed of these things because they were slower; the mindset of a U.S. Open is really slick greens, and these aren’t. I struggled all week trying to hit the putts hard enough, and then yesterday, it bit me right at the start.

“Once I adjusted, as I said yesterday, it was too late. Then today, they were nice; they were a little bit faster but still on the slow side. Uphill putts are really slow, and downhill putts just don’t quite run out. You have to adjust, and I didn’t do that.”

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Current longest cut streak in major championships

Woods’ record is very much safe for now. Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama has made 18 consecutive major championship cuts, with his last missed cut coming during the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush.

Xander Schauffele is next on the list, having made 11 cuts in a row. The 2022 Masters was the last time the world number two missed the weekend.

Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay are all tied on ten. Reed missed the cut at the 2021 Open Championship. Scheffler and Cantlay both struggled at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Other notable names near the top of the list include Brooks Koepka, who is on eight, and Collin Morikawa, who is on four.

Considering Matsuyama is only halfway to Woods’ record, it feels like the 15-time major winner’s tally will remain safe for some time.