CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiger Woods never found his golf ball and didn't get a penalty. Ultimately, it might not even matter.
Woods was headed toward missing the cut Friday for only the eighth time in his career when he shot a 1-over 73. That put him at even-par 144 at a tournament where the cut was projected to be at least 1-under 143.
It would be the first time Woods missed the cut more than once at the same tournament.
The round was not without some drama. He pulled his approach on the par-5 fifth toward the trees, and it was never found. Spectators say they saw it land, and fans immediately surrounded it. But the ball vanished. Based on spectator evidence, a rules official determined a fan took the ball.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiger Woods has missed the cut for just the eighth time as a professional on the PGA Tour.
Woods could manage just a 1-over 73 at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow and didn't make a birdie over his final nine holes to finish at even-par 144. The 36-hole cut was 1 under.
"I figured I needed to get to 3 under to be safe, 2 under for sure," Woods said before departing. "It's frustration. I'm not playing a weekend where I have a chance to compete for a title. I've missed my share of cuts in the past, and none of them feel good."
Woods likely will now head to South Florida for the weekend to sort out his swing and his game before next week's Players Championship -- where he's withdrawn each of the past two years.
Nick Watney shot 64 to take the early tournament lead at 12 under.
This marks just the eighth time since Woods turned pro in 1996 that he missed a 36-hole cut, and the first time he's done so twice at the same venue or tournament. Woods also missed the cut here in 2010 in just his second tournament after returning from a five-month break because of personal issues.
Woods has 72 PGA Tour victories. Phil Mickelson is next among active players with 40, and has missed 63 cuts in his career. Vijay Singh has 34 wins, and has 57 missed cuts.
Woods' last missed cut came at the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta, where he was playing for the second time after a four-month break because of knee and Achilles injuries.
After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 25, Woods was considered a huge favorite going into the Masters. But he never broke par and finished tied for 40th, his worst performance at Augusta National as a pro.
Woods felt good about his work the past two weeks with swing coach Sean Foley, who said his client struggled with posture issues.
But Woods again lamented the inability to play properly with a new swing and lapsing into old habits.
"It all has to do with my setup," he said. "When I get over the golf ball and feel uncomfortable, I hit it great. I want to get comfortable, and I follow my old stuff and hit it awful. I just tried to get uncomfortable and feel as bad as I could and then I striped it.
"I know what I need to do. I just need more reps doing it. ... We've changed a bunch of different things, and every now and then, I fall into the old stuff. And that doesn't work, the combo platter of old and new."
All of this occurred despite a fortunate ruling for Woods at the par-5 fifth hole, where Woods hooked his second shot to the left of the green -- and nobody could find it. A lost ball would have meant a penalty stroke and going back to the original spot to hit again, but witnesses told a PGA Tour rules official that they saw the ball land and that a spectator must have picked it up. Woods got a free drop and made par.
"It was a very unusual situation, but based on all the evidence ... where else could the ball have been," PGA Tour rules official Mark Russell said. "It was like being lost on the floor right here."
None of that mattered, however, when Woods wasn't able to birdie any of the closing holes. He had a 5-footer at the par-4 eighth that might have put him on the cut line, but missed it. At the ninth, his last, he left himself a 50-footer and two-putted. Woods parred all nine holes on the front, and for the round made just two birdies.
Woods hit 14 greens in regulation but needed 33 putts and was ranked 122nd in the field in total putts.
From the 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am -- where he actually didn't return to play a rain-delayed round -- to the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship, Woods did not miss a cut on the PGA Tour, a record 142 straight tournaments.
Since that time, no player has gone as many as 50 straight tournaments without missing a cut -- although Steve Stricker heads into next week's Players Championship at 49 straight.
"It's a great week, this is one of my favorite tour stops," Woods said. "Unfortunately I'm just not going to be around for it."
DALLAS, TX -- Award winning singer/songwriter Stoney LaRue will host his Music & Arts Foundation charity celebrity poker & golf classic to benefit the Cook Children's Recording Studio Project on June 3 and 4 in Lewisville & Grapevine, TX.
Give Ben and Skin your full three as they broadcast live from the golf classic on June 4, and hook up with the ESPN Street Team both days for your chance to win some cool swag!
"It feels great to finally be in a position to help others find their own outlets of expression and creativity," said LaRue. "That is what the Music & Arts Foundation is all about. This inaugural year of the tournament will benefit the Cook Children's Recording Studio Project which is doing some great things for the kid's there."
The two day event kicks off with a charity celebrity poker tournament which includes dinner and post tournament concert. The charity poker tournament starts at 4PM on Sunday June 3 at Hat Tricks (101 East Corporate Dr. #300 Lewisville, TX) featuring Josh Weathers and more. The event continues the next morning Monday June 4th at 11:00A with a three-man golf scramble at the beautiful Cowboys Golf Club (1600 Fairway Drive, Grapevine, TX) followed by an acoustic concert on the course. The evening concert will be open to the public at 7PM by Stoney LaRue and friends including Jason Boland and many others to be announced soon. A full list of celebrities and musical lineup will be available soon at stoneylarue.com/foundation
Tickets and golfer registration are on sale now. Tickets to participate in the charity poker tournament, dinner and concert are $100 (concert only and spectator tickets also available). Registration for the golf tournament is $250 and includes a post golf tournament concert ticket and more. Fans interested in the post golf tournament concert only can purchase tickets for $20. For additional information on all the festivities and to purchase tickets visit stoneylarue.com/foundation.
What: Stoney LaRue Charity Poker & Golf Classic Where: Hat Tricks and Cowboys Golf Club When: Sunday, June 3 and Monday June 4
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- The highly-anticipated start to the 2013 season for Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods had both players wishing they could hit the snooze button and start over.
A plethora of wayward shots and general sloppiness plagued the top-ranked golfers Thursday in their first official rounds of the year at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, a European Tour event.
McIlroy was especially out of sorts as the Northern Irishman made two double-bogeys and hit a tee shot out of bounds on his way to a 3-over-par 75 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Woods struggled off the tee and was saved by his short game, although he three putted his final green to squander an opportunity to finish under par. He shot 72.
Martin Kaymer, Europe's Ryder Cup hero last September at Medinah and the third member of the group shot 71, meaning the illustrious threesome, all of whom have been No. 1, combined to shoot 2 over par.
Jamie Donaldson of Wales, who won last year's Irish Open, was tied for the clubhouse lead with Justin Rose after carding matching 5-under-par 67s. He was followed by Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark and Spain's Pablo Larrazabal. They shot 68.
Considering all the pre-tournament hype surrounding No. 1 McIlroy and No. 2 Woods, it was a disappointing day, one filled with limited banter.
"We didn't really talk a lot out there because we were grinding so hard to put up a score,'' Woods said. "You look at the scoreboard and not a lot of guys are going low. This is a very difficult golf course with this type of wind.
"At least I survived it today; this was a day certainly you could have lost a score.''
That was certainly the case for McIlroy, who made his much-discussed debut using Nike clubs and struggled for much of the day. Twice McIlroy made double bogeys where he hit wayward tee shots, including the par-4 third where an errant drive was discovered out of bounds, leading to trip back to the tee.
He also pull-hooked his second shot to the par-5 18th green so much that he hit it behind the grandstand that borders the hole; he got a free drop however and gave himself a birdie putt that he missed.
"Feel like I was a bit rusty,'' he said. "Didn't drive the ball particularly well which you sort of need to around here because the rough is very thick. Actually hit my irons pretty well but just didn't hole any putts. So didn't drive it well and didn't put well.
"I'm disappointed. I felt like I could have played better. I could have shot a better score. I just need to go and work this afternoon on the range and hopefully go out there tomorrow and shoot something a little better.''
Both players hit just five fairways, with Woods finding only 10 greens in regulation but requiring only 29 putts. McIlroy hit two more greens but also required two more putts.
The week began with a good deal of fanfare as McIlroy was introduced as Nike's newest spokesman, with 14 Nike clubs going in his bag along with headwear, footwear, glove and clothing. He joined Woods as Nike's two biggest golf headliners.
It was the first official event for McIlroy since he captured the European Tour's season-ending event in late November about an hour away in Dubai, capping a five-victory season worldwide and giving him a firm grasp on the No. 1 ranking.
Woods last played at the tournament he hosts in Southern California, the World Challenge, where he tied for fourth in early December. This week he moved up to No. 2 in the world behind McIlroy.
Starting on the 10th hole, Woods overcame an early bogey at the 13th by birdieing three of the last four holes on the back side to turn in 34, 2 under par. McIlory's surprising double bogey at the relatively easy par-3 15th -- where he hit a iron some 40 yards right of the green -- led to a 1-over 37.
Woods could not carry his momentum to the front side, where he promptly smothered his tee shot barely 150 yards at the first hole, not even getting to the fairway. He couldn't reach the green from there and settled for a bogey.
"I hit two beautiful drives at 17 and 18 and I really wanted to go (with a driver at No. 1). And I didn't feel comfortable going," he said. "I fought my gameplan; I fought my number. I wasn't committed and I made a terrible golf swing.''
Woods then bogeyed the par-5 second when he pulled his approach and failed to get up and down and needed a good par saving putt at the third to avoid a third straight bogey. His only front-side birdie came at the par-5 eighth, but he gave the stroke back with a three-putt bogey at No. 9.
It was the seventh time in nine official rounds grouped together going back to last year's Abu Dhabi tournament that Woods shot a lower score than McIlroy, who managed just two birdies.
As expected, there is going to be an adjustment period for the new clubs.
"But I'm really happy with the way the ball is in the wind,'' McIlroy said. "Really happy with the irons, the wedge play. I wasn't very comfortable off the tee but just because I didn't feel like I was swinging it that well. For the most part, I was very happy with everything. I just have to work on a couple of things.''
Donaldson, 37, who captured his lone European Tour title last year, made six birdies and a bogey and said playing last week's tournament in South Africa proved to be beneficial.
"It takes a little bit of the rust off if you like,'' he said. "It was nice to play four rounds, get the season going and on a great golf course last week, as well.
"To come here having played one tournament and having played half-decent, it gets you up to this place. To come here a little dry is very difficult. It's a tough test and you have to be on; if you're slightly off, you can be severely punished.''
Tiger Woods' missed cut at Wells Fargo simply shows he's more like the rank and file PGA Tour players than many thought, writes Bob Harig. 
