Rory McIlroy hopes 'hero' Tiger Woods gets another Open Championship shot on Old Course at St Andrews
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Updated 16/07/2022 at 21:26 GMT
Tiger Woods took an emotional walk up the 18th fairway on Friday after missing the cut at St Andrews, and said it may have been his final Open Championship appearance on the Old Course. Rory McIlroy is hopeful that is not the case, and feels the golfing great deserves one more crack when in decent fitness.
'Unbelievably cool to have the chance to win the Open at St Andrews' - McIlroy
Rory McIlroy insists the whole of golf is pulling for Tiger Woods and is hopeful he gets another shot at the Open Championship at St Andrews.
Woods returned to the scene of two of his three Claret Jug wins for the 150th Open, and had hopes of contending 18 months on from the car crash in which he nearly lost a leg.
Despite the positive talk, it turned out to be a damp squib as Woods started with a 78 and finished well below the cut line at nine-over.
He was handed a huge ovation walking up the 18th on the Old Course, which drew tears from the 15-time major winner.
McIlroy was on the adjacent fairway just starting his round and doffed his cap to his ‘close’ friend. He hopes Woods gets another chance to experience an Open at St Andrews.
"I've gotten pretty close to Tiger over these last few years,” McIlroy said. “And especially after the accident, and I think we've all sort of rallied around him down there in Jupiter (Woods’ home in Florida).
“We all want to see him do well. He was all our hero growing up, even though I'm maybe a touch older than some of the other guys. But we want to see him do well.
“We want to see him still out there competing. And this week was obviously a tough week for him. But we're all behind him. We're all pulling for him.”
The Open is not set to return to St Andrews until 2027 at the earliest, and Woods said following his round that he may not be back at the Old Course.
McIlroy hopes that is not the case, as he feels he deserves a chance to compete when in good physical shape.
“I just hope - everyone hopes it's not the end of his Old Course career,” McIlroy said. “I think he deserves, we deserve him to have another crack at it.
“Hopefully The Open's back here in four or five years' time and he does get another crack at it because with how good he's been throughout his career and how good he's been at The Old Course, I think that's not the way (to end). He's got better in him.”
McIlroy will begin the third round of the Open in the penultimate group after a round of 68 on Friday, and he is looking to put pressure on leader Cameron Smith
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