Tiger Woods won't play in July's British Open while rehabbing from April surgery

The biggest name in golf in Tiger Woods is not playing at the US Open Championship this week. Woods will also miss the next major — the British Open — according to a report from Sports Illustrated.

The 2023 British Open is scheduled to be held July 20-23 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

A spokesperson for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club confirmed to SI that Woods will not be playing in this year’s tournament.

“We have been advised that he won’t be playing at Hoylake,” Mike Woodcock of the R&A reportedly told SI in an email.

Tiger Woods underwent ankle surgery in April and is still recovering from the procedure. He has not played since the Masters in April. Woods made the cut at Augusta National but was unable to complete the tournament due to pain.

The 47-year-old Woods has won 15 majors, including the British Open three times. His most recent win in The Open Championship came in 2006. Woods’ most recent win in a major came in 2019 when he won the Masters.

In April, Woods underwent what was deemed to be a “successful” ankle surgery. He has been rehabbing since then.

“Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture,” a statement from Tiger Woods’ Twitter account said in April. “It was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City. He has determined the surgery to be successful. Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation.”

There is no timetable on when Woods will be able to return to the course.

Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele both shoot historic rounds at 2023 U.S. Open

Elsewhere in golf, a couple of popular players had an impressive first round at the US Open.

Rickie Fowler fired an opening round of 62 in the 123rd version of the U.S. Open. He was joined by a player who is no stranger to remarkable consistency in the majors, Xander Schauffele.

The opening round 62 by both players gives them the lowest round ever shot by any golfer in U.S. Open history. They tied Branden Grace’s 62 at the 2017 British Open Championship for the lowest round in major championship history. Both golfers are native Californians, but both have taken very different career paths the past few years. They both currently sit at 8-under par after their historic opening rounds.

Fowler’s talent has always been undeniable throughout his career. But his game mysteriously disappeared the past few years, as it can for even the very best of golfers from time to time. It can be a confusing and confounding game for many. Fowler is an excellent example of that.