Tiger Woods shot a much-improved one-under-par 70 at the 2019 British Open on Friday, but he will miss the cut at Royal Portrush following his costly opening 78.

After a miserable opening round in which the Masters champion dropped eight shots and managed just one birdie, Woods carded three bogeys on Friday.

While four birdies as well amounted to a tidy round for Tiger, six over par for the first two rounds will not be enough to keep him at Portrush for the weekend.

Woods made the ideal start to Friday's second round as he drained a looping 25-foot birdie putt to prompt a huge roar from the watching fans:

A three-putt for par from just left of the green at the par-five second was disappointing for the 15-time major winner, but he looked to be in much better shape than on Thursday.

And the putter fired again at six when he went to two under for the day by draining another curler:

A fine drive at the par-five seventh continued the momentum, but a horrible second into the left rough led to a spirit-sapping bogey:

There was no decline in effort from Woods, though, and he scrambled well from the left of the eighth green to save par before picking up another shot at 10:

At five over, he still had a lot of work to do, and another birdie at 11 hinted at a potential surge beyond the cut line.

Yet again, though, a par five killed the 43-year-old's momentum.

The 12th should have been a birdie, if not eagle, opportunity. But after two shots down the left, Woods could only make par:

He needed a scintillating final six holes to put himself in contention to prolong his stay in Northern Ireland, but it never materialised.

Instead, long-range chances to make more birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 16 went begging, and a ragged bogey-bogey finish ended Woods' chances.