Tiger Woods’s preparations for an appearance at the third Major of the year, the US Open, appear to be taking shape after footage emerged of him in a golf cart on a scouting trip to the venue for the 2024 edition, Pinehurst No.2.
Woods' trip comes after he was granted a special exemption to the event, with the five-year guaranteed slot he had following his 2019 Masters win having now expired.
🚨🇺🇸👀#LOOK: Tiger Woods is on the grounds for a scouting mission at Pinehurst No.2 (Via csmiths27 / IG) pic.twitter.com/eMyu4Ir45wJune 4, 2024
🚨Tiger getting his numbers this morning at Pinehurst. How will he fare? pic.twitter.com/bmkYfWHHe6June 4, 2024
Woods has three US Open titles under his belt, but he has yet to win a tournament at Pinehurst No.2. However, on the two occasions he has played in the Major at the North Carolina course, he has fared well.
In 1999, he finished T3 behind Payne Stewart and Phil Mickelson, then six years later he got even closer, when Michael Campbell beat him by two as he had to settle for runner-up. Woods didn’t compete at the 2014 edition at the course as he was recovering from back surgery.
The 48-year-old has made no secret of his desire to play a tournament a month during the busiest time of the year, and he’s largely been able to stick to the plan so far.
His first competitive start of the year came in February’s Genesis Invitational, although that was cut short when he had to withdraw during the second round because of illness.
After surprisingly not appearing at either The Players Championship or the Valspar Championship in March, any concerns that his long-term injury issues may have resurfaced were resolved when he played April’s Masters, and he looked assured after setting the record for the longest consecutive number of cuts made at the tournament.
Woods’ form dipped over the weekend, and he finished 60th, but crucially, he appeared to walk relatively limp-free throughout - far more encouraging than the sight of a fragile Woods struggling at the course a year earlier, days before undergoing a subtalar fusion procedure on his right ankle.
The 15-time Major winner then played in last month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, and while his body held up well enough, his form didn’t, and he missed the cut.
Despite only sporadic appearances nowadays, Woods hasn’t given up hope of adding a 16th Major title. On his chances of winning another Masters title, he said before the Augusta National tournament: “I think I can get one more.”
The following month, he discussed his Sun Day Red logo of a tiger, saying: “There is some representation of what I have done in my career. If you look at the stripes, there’s 15 stripes, and as you alluded to earlier I’ve won 15 Major championships. My goal is to ruin this logo. I want to keep ruining the logo. If the trademark is this, my job is to ruin it.”
Whether that happens this year, in the future, or not at all, the sight of Woods preparing for his first US Open since 2020 is no doubt a sign that, even if there are more concerns than not over form and fitness nowadays, as far as he is concerned, the ambition remains very much alive.
