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Tiger Woods on Making Cut at PGA Championship: Mission Is to Win This Thing Somehow

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMay 20, 2022

TULSA, OK - MAY 20: Tiger Woods eyes a put during the PGA Championship on May 20, 2022, at the Southern Hills C.C. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Tiger Woods made the cut Friday at the PGA Championship, though he kept it close, shooting a one-under 69 to move to three over for the tournament. 

Woods was clearly battling through pain through the entirety of the round, but he still has a goal in mind. 

"There's a mission," he told ESPN's Michael Eaves after the second round (h/t Jason Sobel of the Action Network). "The mission is to go ahead and win this thing somehow."

Woods also told Eaves he couldn't load up on his right leg, similar to Thursday when the star golfer began to noticeably limp about halfway through the round. 

"There's a lot of things [I can't do]," he said. "That's just the way it is. Luckily over the course of my career, I've used my hands quite well and gotta rely on feel and hit shots. When you're out there, you know, it's about hitting the ball the right number and getting it done. It wasn't exactly the way I wanted it to be, it wasn't pretty."

It was similar to what he said after the first round.

"I just can't load it," he told reporters. "Loading hurts, pressing off it hurts, walking hurts and twisting hurts. It's just golf. I don't play that, if I don't do that, then I'm all right."

Unlike Thursday, however—when Woods shot a four-over 74 and had five bogeys and just one birdie on the back nine—the veteran golfer fought through the pain to shoot under par Friday. 

Even Rory McIlroy was impressed by his resolve:

Ryan Lavner @RyanLavnerGC

Rory said, if he were Tiger, he would have thought about WD’ing after the agonizing 74. But Tiger didn’t. “He’s proven he’s different,” Rory said. Called another made cut in a major “unbelievable” and a “monumental effort.”

Golf fans were equally impressed:

Nancy Armour @nrarmour

The sheer will of Tiger Woods is even more impressive than his athletic ability.

Taylor Twellman @TaylorTwellman

The will and determination from <a href="https://twitter.com/TigerWoods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TigerWoods</a> in competition is something out of this world. Competing at the highest level and surviving to make the cut on one leg is astonishing. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PGAChampionship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PGAChampionship</a>

Dan Wolken @DanWolken

No, what Tiger is doing today is not more impressive than X achievement from 2007-19 but it’s just damn impressive and that’s enough

As for Woods winning in Tulsa, well, that's a long shot. He would have to make up a double-digit stroke deficit to catch current leader Will Zalatoris, which seems unlikely given Woods' physical limitations. 

But the fight is still there. That's plenty impressive enough.