Tiger Woods once gave a perfect three-word response after being denied entry to The Open Championship. At the peak of his powers during the 2004 tournament at Royal Troon, Woods forgot his security pass and was stopped by a guard who did not recognize him.
Incident Recalled by Fellow Golfer
PGA Tour golfer Michael Kim recounted the incident on social media. He wrote: "At the Open Championship, players get a clip as credentials to get you into the locker room and everywhere else. Mid-2000s, Tiger forgot his clip one day, and he was walking into the locker room when the security person stopped him, asking for his credentials."
Kim added: "Tiger looks around, sees a massive billboard with his name and face on it, points to it, says, 'That's my credentials,' and walked into the locker room."
Woods' Open Championship Success
Woods won The Open in 2000, 2005, and 2006. He will not be at Royal Birkdale for the 2026 final major, having kept a low profile since a rollover car crash near his Florida home earlier this year.
Car Crash and Legal Issues
In the incident, Woods' Land Rover clipped a landscaping truck that had slowed to turn, causing his vehicle to flip. Neither Woods nor the other driver suffered major injuries, but officers noted signs of impairment. A breathalyser test was clean for alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was found with prescription hydrocodone pills in his pocket.
Woods was arrested and charged with DUI, property damage, and refusing to submit to a lawful test. He pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial. Subsequently, he announced he was stepping away from golf to seek treatment and focus on his health, spending six weeks in a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland.
Public Return and PGA Tour Changes
Woods made his first major public appearance since the crash at the Travelers Championship last month. At a news conference to introduce PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, he said: "How do we build the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour? This work was never about any one player or person, it was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations, and thinking boldly about what is best for the game we all love."
His arrest and absence were not addressed. Rolapp announced changes to the PGA Tour schedule effective in 2028.
