Tiger Woods was one of the highest-profile players to miss the cut at The Open Championship in 2019, when it was last hosted by Royal Portrush.
Shane Lowry has visited Royal Portrush ahead of this year’s tournament, with The Open Championship returning to the iconic venue.
Rory McIlroy was emotional after missing The Open cut that year, having received heavy support in his native Northern Ireland.
His close friend Lowry triumphed at the tournament in 2019, clinching the Claret Jug by six shots ahead of Tommy Fleetwood.
But also missing the cut at Portrush was Woods, which was made more significant by the fact he had won The Masters earlier that year for his 15th major championship win.
Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty ImagesHow Tiger Woods reacted to missing the cut at The Open Championship in 2019
The legendary figure carded rounds of 78 and 70 to end on six-over, and was left hugely disappointed by his failure to make the weekend.
Speaking after missing the cut, the American said: “That’s one of the hardest things to accept, that as an older athlete you’re not going to be as consistent as you were at 23. Things are different.
“I’m going to have my hot weeks, I’m going to be there in contention with the chance to win and I will win tournaments, but there are times when I’m just not going to be there and that wasn’t the case 20-something odd years ago when I had a different body and I was able to be a bit more consistent.
“It’s more frustrating than anything else. This is a major championship and I love playing in these events, I love the atmosphere and enjoy the stress of playing a major.”
A dejected Woods then concluded: “I just want some time off, to get away from it. I just want to go home.”
Tiger Woods enjoys historic success shortly after The Open missed cut
Woods was 43 at the time of his missed cut at The Open, with the 15-time major champion set to turn 50 later this year.
He’s been absent from the PGA Tour this year after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery, with a return date unknown.
READ MORE: What Rory McIlroy noticed about Royal Portrush golf course when he saw it for the very first time
After The Open in 2019, however, he was committed to taking a break from the game, having travelled enough at that stage of the year after holidaying in Thailand before his trip to Northern Ireland.
He rested following the July event and returned to PGA Tour action at The Northern Trust in August, where he withdrew after a first round 75.
Woods then finished T37 at the BMW Championship as he failed to progress in the playoffs, but he did manage to end his 2019 calendar year on a very, very high note.
There was a T2 finish at the unofficial event of the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins, but that was followed by Woods lifting the trophy at the Zozo Championship at the start of the 2019/20 season.
It represents his 82nd and last PGA Tour title to date, tying him with Sam Snead at the very top of the all-time wins list.