What happened at The Open in 2002 when Tiger Woods had one of the worst major rounds of his career

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Tiger Woods was nearly unbeatable during the 2002 season.

He became the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win both The Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, and was the only player under par at Bethpage Black at the U.S. Open.

Tiger Woods arrived in Scotland for the 2002 Open Championship, having won three times already and having recorded seven top-five finishes. He was just a year removed from having won the “Tiger Slam”, where he held all four major championship titles at the same time after winning the 2001 Masters.

His dream of an unprecedented calendar year grand slam was very much alive. And after two rounds of the Open Championship, he was in contention. Woods shot a 68 on Friday to bring himself within two shots of the lead.

But it wasn’t a player that prevented Woods from winning the calendar slam. Instead, it was the Scottish weather.

A Scottish storm made Tiger Woods shoot 81 at the 2002 Open Championship

Before the weather hit Muirfield Golf Links on Saturday, it was unfathomable that Woods was capable of scoring so poorly on a round of golf. His worst round as a professional came four years prior: a 78 at a rainy Pebble Beach. But the Scottish weather embarrassed Woods at the peak of his powers.

The wind and rain started before Woods had teed off on Saturday. He faced wind gusts of up to 50 mph and sideways rain. His round started poorly with a bogey on the first after a wayward approach shot. 

Woods parred only one of the first six holes and had a disastrous double bogey on the sixth. His tee shot went just 206 yards, and when his following approach went right into the thick rough, Woods swung his club at the floor in frustration.

The wind had flustered Woods, and that was showing on the greens. He missed a number of short putts on his way to an eight-over-par front nine. And bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes only added to his sour mood.

He steadied the ship on the back nine, however. He made par on four straight holes, something that might have disappointed him on an average round, but seemed like a miracle on that day. 

The wind dropped towards the end of his round, and Woods found himself putting for eagle on the par-5 18th hole. But in a shot that epitomized his day, he missed the putt. His tap-in birdie was his only one of Saturday.

It was his worst round as a professional to date, and his first time shooting 80 as a pro. It showed that the Scottish weather can even embarrass golf’s unstoppable force. 

Storm Amy strikes Alfred Dunhill Links in 2025

It wasn’t the first or last time the Scottish weather has wreaked havoc for pros. Friday’s play at the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship saw the players battle Storm Amy, and it was survival of the fittest. 

Before play was suspended due to the weather, Robert MacIntyre impressed after his Ryder Cup win, shooting 66 to tie the lead. The Scot handled his home country’s conditions brilliantly.

The wind bothered even the most experienced players in the game. Dustin Johnson, who shot 64 in round one, pulled out a three wood from less than 200 yards out. He flushed it and shouted, “Fore!”, thinking he had airmailed the green. Instead, it landed short and rolled onto the putting surface.

The conditions make links golf such a unique challenge, that can take down even the best players the game has ever seen.