Tiger Woods has had some memorable moments at Royal Troon, but winning isn’t one of them.
He’s missed out on the Claret Jug during his visits to the Ayrshire course.
In 2016, he was injured and couldn’t compete in the epic showdown where Henrik Stenson edged out Phil Mickelson.
Despite winning the Claret Jug three times in his career, Woods never quite put it all together at Troon. He showed flashes of brilliance but couldn’t maintain it over four rounds.
1997 – Winner: Justin Leonard
During this year, Tiger ended up tied for 24th place with scores of 72, 74, 64, and 74. His third round was spectacular—a dazzling 64 that put him back into contention after a rough start. But Friday’s three-over-par round left him far behind leaders like Darren Clarke who were scoring low .
Fans might think it’s surprising how Tiger struggled on such a big stage.
By Sunday, he was eight shots behind leader Jesper Parnevik. While Parnevik stumbled late in the game, Justin Leonard surged ahead with a brilliant final round of 65 to win by three shots. Meanwhile, Tiger could only manage another disappointing round of 74.
2004 – Winner: Todd Hamilton
When Woods returned to Troon in 2004, it felt like déjà vu. He finished tied for ninth with rounds of 70, 71, 68, and 72. Again his Saturday performance stood out as he posted a solid score of 68 moving him up to T7 position going into Sunday.
However—just like before—he couldn’t capitalize on Sunday despite being just four shots off the lead heading into the final day. A one-over-par round meant he fell short once more while Todd Hamilton went on to win an unexpected playoff against Ernie Els for a shocking victory.
What do you think about Tiger’s performances at Royal Troon?
