Tiger likely to miss secondary cut

ByBOB HARIG
January 25, 2014, 8:29 PM

— -- SAN DIEGO -- Tiger Woods is on the verge of suffering an unflattering career first -- missing a secondary cut on the PGA Tour.

With a 7-over-par 79 on Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open, the current world No. 1 nearly matched his worst career round as a pro when he shot 81 amid brutal weather conditions in the 2002 Open Championship at Muirfield.

The last time Woods shot a score this high was a 79 in the third round of the Memorial in 2013.

Because the 36-hole cut this week included more than 78 players, by PGA Tour regulations another cut is made to reduce the field to the top 70 and ties through three rounds. When he finished his round, Woods was tied for 78th.

Woods likely didn't make Sunday's final round due to one of his worst scores at Torrey Pines.

A seven-hole stretch in which Woods made two double-bogeys and was 9-over par led to just the fourth score over par for Woods in 14 appearances in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Late in the round, Woods ended his bogey streak with a birdie at No. 7. Then, after missing the green left on the par-3 8th hole, his 17th of the day, Woods' first chip didn't reach the putting surface, but his next one found the bottom of the cup for a par.

Woods won this tournament for the seventh time last year and has eight total victories here, including the 2008 U.S. Open.

The secondary cut is called an MDF, which stands for "Made cut: did not finish." The PGA Tour put it in place at the start of the 2008 season to limit field sizes for the final round. Typically the top 70 and ties make the cut, and there were 83 players who made it at even-par 144 this week at Torrey Pines.

Woods is still credited with making the 36-hole cut and receives money as if he had played the final round.

In his career, Woods has missed nine cuts on the PGA Tour, the last coming at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic. He also missed the cut last year at the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, just his 10th overall worldwide.

Woods will head to the Middle East for next week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour.