Woods posted a second-round three-over-par 73 at Pinehurst No.2 in North Carolina, dropping to seven over for his two days on the course. The cut line at the notoriously difficult major came in at five over, with the top 60 players and ties advancing to the weekend.
Woods, 48, birdied the par-4 fourth hole by sinking a downhill putt from more than 16 feet out. He proceeded to bogey the next hole and carded three more bogeys without a birdie the rest of the way.
The 15-time major champion has spoken about playing just a handful of events each season as time goes on and he copes with his aging body. He indicated on Friday that next month's British Open Championship at Royal Troon will be his last tournament of 2024.
"Even if I win the British Open, I don't think I'll be in the (FedEx Cup) playoffs," Woods said. "Just one more event and then I'll come back whenever I come back."
Then, Woods was asked how much it hurt to miss the cut, and whether he had considered it could have been his final US Open.
"Well, 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. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn't work out."
"As far as my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don't know what that is. It may or may not be."
Woods played this week on a special exemption. The three-time US Open winner (2000, 2002, 2008) was not going to make the field otherwise, as the USGA's exemptions for past winners only last 10 years.
One of the most remarkable achievements of Woods' career came at the 2008 US Open, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in sudden death after an 18-hole Monday playoff.
Woods' favourite major is the Masters, where he's made the cut in a record 24 straight starts. But he has failed to make the cut at any other major since the 2022 PGA Championship, where he withdrew after playing three rounds due to plantar fasciitis.
Asked what will be his main takeaway from this trip to Pinehurst, Woods merely called his week "frustrating."
"I'm not here for the weekend," he said. "Granted, my ball-striking and felt like my putting was good enough to be in contention, and I'm not."
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