Tiger Woods ranks Winged Foot among hardest courses ahead of U.S. Open – ESPN

The practice rounds would have been 10 hours out here trying to find golf balls.
Youre going to have to drive the golf ball in play.”. None of this bodes especially well for Woods, who at least got a taste of U.S. Open conditions 3 weeks ago at Olympia Fields, site of the BMW Championship. That course played a lot like a U.S. Open, however Woods handled simply a tie for 51st. Woods, who won his 82nd PGA Tour event last October, has dropped from 6th in the world at the start of the year to 21st this week.

None of this bodes especially well for Woods, who at least got a taste of U.S. Open conditions three weeks ago at Olympia Fields, site of the BMW Championship. That course played a lot like a U.S. Open, however Woods managed just a tie for 51st. He made only 9 birdies for the week and battled with his putting.
Given That the PGA Tours restart in June, Woods has played just four events, his finest finish a tie for 27th at the PGA Championship. During that time, he has simply 4 rounds in the 60s and didnt break par in any round at Olympia Fields. Woods, who won his 82nd PGA Tour event last October, has dropped from sixth on the planet at the start of the year to 21st this week.
” This year I actually havent putted in addition to I wished to, and the times I did make a few swing mistakes, I missed it in the incorrect spots, “he stated. “Consequently, I just didnt have the right looks at it. Ive intensified mistakes here and there that wound up not making me able to make pars or a birdie run, and as a result, I have not put myself in contention to win occasions.”.

Tiger Woods has actually seen his share of hard golf courses over the years. He didnt think twice when asked where Winged Foot Golf Club, site of this weeks U.S. Open, ranks.
” Well, I think its right up there beside Oakmont and I think Carnoustie as far as simply large trouble without even doing anything to it,” Woods said during a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday. “I believe those three golf courses, they can host major championships without ever doing anything to them.
” This one or Oakmont here is either a couple of.”.
2 RelatedCarnoustie is The Open place in Scotland where Francesco Molinari won in 2018. Oakmont has actually hosted a number of U.S. Opens, the most current, in 2016, won by Dustin Johnson. Winged Foot is getting the U.S. Open for the sixth time, the very first since 2006 when Geoff Ogilvy won by a shot as both Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie double-bogeyed the last hole.
Woods missed the cut, the first time he had actually done so in a significant champion as a pro. Woods connected for 29th at the 1997 PGA Championship dipped into Winged Foot.
The course, in Mamaroneck, New York, has long had a credibility for being tough. When Ogilvy won in 2006, his winning score was 285, 5 over par. When Hale Irwin won at 287 in 1974, the competition was dubbed “The Massacre at Winged Foot.”.
Determining 7,477 backyards, Winged Foot is a par-70 with just 2 par-5s. It has a brutal completing stretch of 5 straight par-4s, none less than 425 backyards.
” There are not techniques to it; youve simply got to step up and strike excellent shots,” said Gary Woodland, who won in 2015s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. “The secret this week is youve got to drive the ball in the fairway. If you do not do that, youre going to be wedging out and youre going to be trying to strike wedges close because youre not going to be able to advance it too far out of the rough.
” For me, this week and what Ive type of put a focus on the last couple weeks being home is driving the golf ball, and thats definitely going to be the secret today.”.
It constantly causes problems at Winged Foot. Woods wondered if it may be cut prior to the tournament beginning, given how wet it is now. He played his first practice round on Saturday and stated he couldnt discover a ball when his caddie just tossed it back to him while working on his cracking.
” We didnt discover it till we stepped on it, “he said.” The golf ball can vanish pretty rapidly.
There was talks of not having marshals the first couple practice rounds. The practice rounds would have been 10 hours out here attempting to find golf balls.
” The reality that we have marshals is going to assist. Generally, if you strike it outside the ropes too, youre striking it in the crowds and you got some stomped down lies. We dont have the benefit of that today. So youre going to need to drive the golf ball in play.”.” So far it seems extremely, extremely hard,” stated Johnson, the No. 1-ranked player on the planet. “One of the more difficult ones Ive ever played. However its fair. Theres absolutely nothing truly tricky about it. Youve simply got to strike excellent shots.”.