Tiger Woods makes his 23rd Open Championship appearance this week and he has an incredible record on links golf courses with three Claret Jug wins.
The 15-time Major champion will have now played in all four Majors in a season for the first time in five years, but he has not had a year to savor so far.
Woods made the cut at The Masters for a record 24th consecutive time in April before finishing bottom of the pile over the weekend and then missing the cuts at the PGA Championship and US Open in his next, and only, two outings.
Interestingly, Woods didn’t opt for his usual week of links golf practice in Ireland ahead of this year’s Open, which perhaps hints that he has either been too busy with his off-course duties or more likely that his body just isn’t quite where he’d like it to be.
He arrived in the UK on Sunday, which is rather late for him by usual standards, and played 18 holes on both Sunday and Monday. He’ll now look to conserve energy with nine-hole days and maybe even a full rest day before Thursday.
So can he make the weekend at Troon? Or could he even go on to challenge for another Major trophy?
Golf Monthly staff members and contributors discuss Tiger Woods’ Open chances…
Woods is surely going to be rusty once again after missing the cut at the US Open last month and then playing no further tournaments. I’ve been a huge believer in him over these latter years in his career (I still think he can win another Major but has to play more) but sadly I think he’s going to need to be on the right side of the draw to even make the cut.
The Open Championship weather forecast doesn’t look like it’s going to work in his favor – his last ‘good’ Open was Carnoustie 2018 where it was hot and baked out.
Woods has driven it great over the last couple of years but everything else hasn’t been sharp enough to compete at the top level due to his lack of tournament reps. If he can make the cut this week then it’d have to go down as a very good result.
I can’t say I’m too hopeful, but there’s also a part of me that hopes he can get off to a flying start in some calm conditions and get himself into the golf tournament – which he has not been able to do in recent times.
If hot weather was forecast and the fairways were fast and bouncy, I’d fancy his chances. But they’re not – so I will predict a missed cut and hope that I am very wrong!
Woods’ T6 at Carnoustie in 2018 was his one and only Open top-10 in the last decade
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Michael Weston
I’d love to see Tiger Woods in contention this week, but he hasn’t been involved in the latter stages of the tournament since Carnoustie six years ago where he ended in T6th.
The reality is that Woods’ best years are behind him. I don’t care how good your record is, you can’t just pitch up at a Major Championship and expect to perform your best, certainly not when you’re nearly 50 years of age and you’re up against the likes of Scheffler, McIlroy, DeChambeau and Schauffele.
If it’s cold and wet, which it looks like it will be at times, I think he’d be doing well to make the cut. I hope he does, but I’m predicting an ‘MC’.
The great man is just too rusty and too constrained by a long list of injuries.
Nick Bonfield
Never say never, but I’d bet my house on Tiger Woods not winning a 16th Major at Royal Troon this week.
Even though links courses can sometimes be great equalisers – and he could find himself on the right side of the draw – I’ve seen no evidence for some time that he’s capable of landing another big one.
It also seems as if the enthusiasm around Tiger appearing in Majors has begun to wane. It’s almost as if even his most ardent supporters know in their heart of hearts that his race is run.
I’d love to be proved wrong, but I just can’t see it happening. He simply isn’t match fit enough.
We all know that Tiger loves links golf and, coming into Troon, it’s really difficult to say how he will get on given he’s missed the cut at his last two Majors, which just so happens to be his last two starts.
You would think that he would struggle given the weather forecasted (rain), but given the fact it’s Tiger Woods, I can see the three-time Claret Jug winner having a decent week.
Why? Well, firstly, I think he’ll have come away from the US Open and given himself a telling off for that performance (+7, MC by two strokes) which, in all honesty, wasn’t remotely close to his best.
Secondly, he’s due a good run in a Major and, out of all the big four, I have a gut feeling The Open is the one where it’s most likely to happen, as it demands creativity and an arsenal of shots that Tiger just happens to possess.
Woods played practice rounds at Royal Troon on Sunday and Monday
(Image credit: Getty Images)
If (like me) you’re still clinging to the notion that Tiger could win a Major again, it’d be at Augusta or the Open, but that’s a rapidly diminishing prospect sadly.
He’s shown glimpses of form but while his driving has been pretty good, his irons and approach play has been miles off.
His big problem is being able to play enough to sharpen up but not so much as to wear down his battered body – and cold and wet weather forecast at Troon won’t help one bit.
I hope I’m wrong but I can’t see him making the cut this week.
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