Tiger Woods secures US Open payday despite missing cut in boost to hefty net worth
Golf legend Tiger Woods still managed to pocket a tidy sum, despite missing the cut at the US Open.
The 48-year-old was hoping to win the major for a fourth time but a disappointing 36 holes saw his dreams dashed before the weekend even began. Woods started off strong but ended up seven over par across his two rounds, resulting in him not qualifying for the weekend. He was just two shots over the limit, with 74 other golfers making the cut on five over.
While Bryson DeChambeau leads the way at the US Open, Woods' quest for his first major title since his memorable 2019 Masters victory goes on. However, the golfing icon still received £7.9k ($10k) for his time in North Carolina, as a reward for making the initial cut.
"We pay you even if you miss the cut because we really believe that making the cut at the US Open is getting one of these 156 [spots]," explained USGA chief executive Mike Whan. "Think about it, of 10,200 [who attempt to qualify], only 156 are here."
The prize money will be of little comfort to Woods, who is three short of matching Jack Nicklaus' record of winning 18 major titles. Despite enduring some tough periods of form since his prime, Woods became only the second active athlete to be named a billionaire by Forbes in 2022, joining LeBron James.
The legendary golfer has earned approximately £1.4bn ($1.8bn) over his illustrious career according to Forbes, with his PGA Tour prize money reaching a tidy sum of £95.5m ($121m). Woods' fortune is estimated at a whopping £1bn ($1.3bn), a figure that might have seen an even loftier peak if he had not declined a colossal offer from the LIV Golf Tour.
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Tiger Woods at the US Open
Reflecting on his US Open disappointment Woods shared : "I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn't work out.
He last won the US Open in 2008 and confessed that it could be his final appearance at the major: "As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don't know what that is. It may or may not be," Woods con
"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."
Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open
Off the green, Woods' financial game is going strong due to multiple endorsements, investments, and business ventures, including real estate partnerships, a golf course design firm, bespoke mini-golf experiences, and also co-founding the tech company TMRW Sports with Rory McIlroy to establish a new golf league.
Yet, despite his financial success, Woods missing the cut at the US Open will sting the three-time champion. Woods will dust himself down ahead of the Open Championship but has recently suggested that retirement could be on the horizon.
"It's one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut," Woods said. "I can't win the tournament from where I'm at, so it certainly is frustrating."