Tiger Woods is confident his body can hold up and help him win this week’s U.S. Open despite struggling at the last two Major Championships.
The 15-time Major winner hasn’t played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month in what was just his third start of the season.
Woods started his season at the Genesis Invitational, where he withdrew during the second round with influenza, before making his 24th consecutive cut at the Masters Tournament.
Despite breaking the all-time record for consecutive cuts made at Augusta National, Woods struggled with his game and body over the weekend, carding an 82 – his worst score in a Major as a pro – before eventually finishing in last place for those who made the cut.
The former World No.1 was clearly hampered physically on both of those Major outings, which is a result of suffering career-threatening leg and ankle injuries in a car crash in February 2021, just two years on from winning a fifth Masters title after making a comeback from spinal fusion surgery.
It’s a miracle Woods can even still tee it up in the game’s four biggest events.
But the 82-time PGA Tour winner isn’t there to just make up the numbers.
Despite everything he has gone through in recent years, Woods still believes he has what it takes to add a 16th Major Championship title to his name.
“Yeah, I do,” Woods replied when asked if he feels like his body is in spot to win the tournament.
“I feel like I have the strength to be able to do it. It's just a matter of doing it.
“This golf course is going to test every single aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline that it takes to play this particular golf course, it's going to take a lot.
“We've been working on that and making sure that I understand the game plan and be ready in two more days.”
First Pinehurst start since 2005
This week marks the third time Woods will take on a U.S. Open setup at Pinehurst No.2, with his two previous starts ending with a share of third in 1999 and a runner-up finish in 2005.
That outing 19 years ago was the last time Woods had played Pinehurst before returning for a practice round last week, with the 48-year-old missing the 2014 edition which had seen the course undergo a famed restoration by Coore-Crenshaw ahead of the tournament.
This week’s set-up will also be the first U.S. Open ever played on ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens, which is set to make them play a lot firmer.
“Yeah, it's all different,” said Woods when asked how different the surrounds around the greens were compared to his last start.
“I played it under bentgrass. So now having Bermuda, it's very different. It's grainy. We had the grain on the greens during those Open Championships, and they were softer than they are now.
“Granted, I know the surrounds were burnt out in '05, but the greens were not like what they are right now. That's very different.
“The shot selections around the greens I think are more plentiful this year from either putting it to wedging it. As you said, 6- or 7-irons. I've used long irons and woods around the greens, and I've seen a number of guys do the same thing.
“There's a lot of different shot selections, and the grain is going to play a big part of it. The last few days playing practice rounds - I'm guilty as well as the rest of the guys I've played with - we've putted off a lot of greens.
“It depends how severe the USGA wants to make this and how close they want to get us up to those sides.
“But I foresee just like in '05 watching some of the guys play ping-pong back and forth. It could happen.”
