Tiger relishes opportunity to play U.S. Open again
A year ago Tiger Woods wondered whether he would play golf again. Now the 14-time Major champion is back in the field at the U.S. Open and prepared to continue his chase of Jack Nicklaus’ record.
Tiger Woods is happy to be at Shinnecock Hills playing the U.S. Open this week.
After all, it was just a year ago that Woods questioned whether he would ever play golf again. Now the three-time U.S. Open champion is back and prepared to continue his chase of Jack Nicklaus’s Major Championship record. It’s an opportunity he fully appreciates.
“I had no expectation that I would ever be here again,” he said Tuesday. “A lot of this is pure bonus because of where I was. To be able to have this opportunity to play USGA events, to play against these guys, the best players in the world, it’s just a great feeling and one that I don’t take for granted.”
Woods has not played in the U.S. Open since 2015 while dealing with a series of back injuries. Last year he watched on television as Brooks Koepka conquered Erin Hills, unsure if he would ever be out there again. But he made a successful return to the PGA Tour this year and has been in contention in a number of tournaments, most notably a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship. He has not won yet, but he recognizes the progess he has made.
“I’ve given myself chances to win, which I didn’t know if I was ever going to do again. Then again, I’m not happy with the fact that I didn’t win, because I loved how it felt being there. I’ve had my opportunities, but also I’m very thankful for having those opportunities. I didn’t know if I was going to have them again.”
“Last June, it was about my standard of life. Forget golf. Can I actually participate in my kids' lives again? A lot of this is pure bonus because of where I was.” -@TigerWoods pic.twitter.com/RWCuzJqGIU
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 12, 2018
One area of Woods’ game that has let him down recently is his putting. Last month at the Wells Fargo Championship he failed to make a birdie in a round for just the 11th time in his professional career. He ranks just 89th on tour in strokes gained putting this season. Woods knows that he has to improve, and spent most of the past week working on his putting technique.
“I worked on it pretty hard this past week. I just had to hit a lot of putts, just put in the legwork. And I was able to do that. My stroke feels good,” he said.
His competitors admit that having Woods back in the field this week makes this U.S. Open special. Jordan Spieth, the 2015 champion at Chambers Bay, says Woods being here is great for golf, but he won’t be intimidated if he is coming down the stretch with him on Sunday.
“It adds a whole ‘nother level for sure. I think it’s great for the sport. He’s here because he loves the game and he loves to complete and he wants to win,” Spieth said at Shinnecock on Tuesday. “We certainly owe a lot to him. And that doesn’t mean that anybody wants to take it easy on him if they’re coming down the stretch with him.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Woods’ U.S. Open triumph over Rocco Mediate in a playoff at Torrey Pines. It was his 14th Major title, but he has not won one since as a succession of injuries have derailed his career. What once looked like a mere formality, catching Nicklaus, is now in question for the 42-year-old Woods. He still reflects on the missed chances he has had in the past 10 years, and is determined to avoid them this time.
“I have been there on a number of occasions to win and I haven’t done it,” he says. “And no, I don’t like that feeling.”
Woods will be making his third trip to Shinnecock Hills. His first U.S. Open was here in 1995 as an amateur, when he withdrew with a wrist injury. In 2004 he tied for 17th. The course he plays this time, however, will be much different than the one he encountered back then. “It has changed a lot from the two times I played previously. It’s a lot longer, the fairways seem to be about twice as wide. It’s a very different test, a very different look.”
The fact that Woods is even back playing is remarkable. That he has looked great at times this year is even more so. He recognizes the second chance he has been given, and will try to make the most of it when he tees off Thursday with Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas.
After all, he knows more than anybody how quickly it can be taken away.