Tiger Woods at US Open: Latest Pre-Tournament Comments, Odds and Predictions
For many people, Tiger Woods will forever be associated with golf and the first player on the links they think of when images of the sport are conjured up.
His presence in a tournament—good form or bad—is both promising for the sport and a reminder of the type of sway the right athlete can hold over the public.
Woods has been fighting to show off his old form at some point this year, and the 2015 U.S. Open, starting June 18 at Chambers Bay, figures to be one of his best chances to prove he's not yet yesterday's news.
Pre-Tournament Comments
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Much of golf's individualistic battle is the gap between the form and the production in the mind's eye and what's produced in reality. It's enough that golfers are battling themselves all weekend in a given tournament, but the unique Chambers Bay golf course in University Place, Washington, figures to be more challenging than most.
"There's no way you can play this course blind,'' Woods said, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig. "There is so much information to download. You don't have any chance if you haven't seen this place.''
USA Today's Steve DiMeglio detailed just some of the pitfalls awaiting golfers this year:
"For another challenge, he and all the players will deal with massive, undulating, sloping green complexes where nearly every green has runoffs in every direction and where large mounds will send accurate shots into trouble or turn poor shots into tap-ins.
Woods spent plenty of time putting from off the greens, sometimes from 30 yards off.
"
Shifting winds and variable distances also figure to throw Woods and other golfers for a loop, starting Thursday. Woods felt the course's difficulty could depend greatly on the way officials set up each hole.
"Depends how it’s set up," Woods said, per SB Nation's Emily Kay. "It could be a golf course [that’s] pretty easy; you just bomb driver down there…and you’re hitting a lot of wedges into the holes and you just tear it apart."
Woods also pointed out USGA executive director Mike Davis "could set it up the other way, and then it's going to be frustrating; you’re hitting driver, 5-wood. A couple of par-4s were 510 yards straight up the hill...," per Kay.
This talk would sound worrisome for Woods fans even if the 14-time major winner was at the peak of his capabilities; unfortunately, he has struggled immensely as of late and has not fared well this season overall.
| 12/07/14 | Hero World Challenge | T17 | 288 | E |
| 2/01/15 | Waste Management Phoenix Open | CUT | 155 | 13 |
| 2/08/15 | Farmers Insurance Open | W/D | ||
| 4/12/15 | Masters Tournament | T17 | 283 | -5 |
| 5/10/15 | PLAYERS Championship | T69 | 291 | 3 |
| 6/07/15 | the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide | 71 | 302 | 14 |
Those performances include an abominable, career-worst score of 85 (13-over) in the third round of the Memorial Tournament in early June.
After seeing him play at Monday's practice round, fellow tour professional Jason Day believes Woods' problems are mainly in his mind and that figuring out his game off of the tee might be the secret to unlocking performances of old, per the Guardian's Ewan Murray:
"Tell you what, if he could get on the fairway, he’d probably be back to where he was. His iron play is just ridiculous right now, it’s really special. The driver and the 3-wood ... the 3-wood is OK, the driver gets a little wide sometimes. But I think that’s the biggest thing for him right now is to really kind of get on the fairway. His short game looks pretty good.
"
According to PGATour.com, Woods has hit just 48.98 percent of his fairways this season, a figure that would place him very near the bottom of the pack in 2015.
Odds, Prediction
When it comes to odds to win this year's U.S. Open, Woods' reputation cannot bring him near the top of the pack, but it can save him from astronomically long probabilities.
According to Odds Shark (as of June 16), the No. 195 golfer in the world is garnering 50-1 odds. He's a long shot, but the odds are greatly out of step with his ranking, especially when you look at the names of those around him on the betting table.
| 19 | Martin Kaymer | 40-1 |
| 18 | Matt Kuchar | 40-1 |
| 15 | Patrick Reed | 40-1 |
| 195 | Tiger Woods | 50-1 |
| 20 | Billy Horschel | 50-1 |
| 30 | Brandt Snedeker | 50-1 |
| 21 | Brooks Koepka | 50-1 |
| 50 | Byeong Hun An | 66-1 |
| 39 | Keegan Bradley | 66-1 |
| 28 | Lee Westwood | 66-1 |
Woods' recent performances aren't promising, but he's at least taken the preparation seriously for this one, something that cannot necessarily be said for others in this year's U.S. Open, per CBS Sports' Kyle Porter: "Tiger Woods was one of the few golfers playing in the US Open this week who took Mike Davis seriously last month when Davis said anyone who wanted to contend would need multiple practice rounds."
There may well be some surprise flops at this year's tournament, which could take some of the considerable pressure off of Woods. Still, making the cut could prove to be a challenge, and it's anyone's guess as to how he will handle the way the course will be set up Thursday and Friday. Look for the hard work to pay off in him making the cut, but don't expect too much encouragement beyond that.
Prediction: T-30
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
