Tiger Woods: 5 Reasons to Watch a Tiger-Less U.S. Open

Tiger Woods recently fell to No. 15 in the world rankings. He's about to drop even further after failing to play in another tournament. 

Woods tweeted earlier today that he will not be playing in the 2011 U.S. Open next weekend. He's not happy about it, and neither are a lot of golf fans. 

People love to watch Tiger compete, but his injuries are preventing him from playing. Tiger will miss the U.S Open for the first time since 1994. 

However, just because Tiger Woods won't be playing that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the U.S. Open. 

Here are five reasons to watch the 2011 U.S Open. 

5. Beautiful Golf Course

The 2011 U.S. Open will be held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. There hasn't been a major at Congressional Country Club since 1997. Ernie Els was the winner at the 1997 U.S. Open. 

The course features three lengthy par fives, as well as tough 18th hole. Hopefully the U.S. Open will come down to the final hole, and at 523 yards the par four 18th is sure to be a good challenge. 

Tune in sometime next weekend to check out a beautiful golf course on your HD-TV that you can only dream of playing at someday.   

4. Phil Mickelson Is Still Competing

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DUBLIN, OH - JUNE 03: Phil Mickelson hits his tee shot on the par 4 17th hole during the second round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 3, 2011 in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty

Just because Tiger Woods isn't playing in the 2011 U.S. Open doesn't mean there won't be any good golfers. 

If you're a patriot and you need an American to root for than tune in to watch Phil Mickelson either win it or choke the title away. 

The lefty is a great golfer, but sometimes he fails to deliver. Tune in to see what Phil is made of next weekend. 

3. The Final Round Is on Father's Day

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL - DECEMBER 07: Troy Merritt hugs his dad Mark Merritt after winning medalist honors during the final round of the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament at Bear Lakes Country Club on December 7, 2009 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo

What better way to spend Father's Day than watching golf? You can get up early for your tee time, eat lunch, and then watch the 2011 U.S. Open. 

It should be a good fight to the finish. Tune in on Sunday for the final round with you dad to relax and watch some golf. 

2. Get to Know Golf's Youth

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AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 08: Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland look on from the tenth tee during the second round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/G

So Tiger Woods isn't playing in the U.S. Open. It's not the end of world. Turn on the U.S. Open and learn more about the other golfers. 

Golf has some young stars in the making. Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and really the list goes on and on. 

The sport of golf is doing alright without Tiger and you should learn about the future of the sport. 

1. It's a Major Tournament

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 23: A unique collection of golf trophies (l-r) The Ryder Cup won by Europe in 2010, The Masters player replica trophy won by Phil Mickelson of the USA in 2010, The US Open trophy won by Graeme McDowell of Norther

The 111th U.S. Open next weekend is the second major tournament of the year. The Masters gave us a great show, and the U.S. Open should be very good as well. 

Just because Tiger isn't playing this year doesn't mean you shouldn't watch. After all, there aren't that many major tournaments in golf. People like to tune in for the big events, and the 2011 U.S. Open is definitely a big event. 

Tiger hasn't won in a while and even if he did compete in the major next weekend he wouldn't be all that big of threat. 

It's a major tournament people, watch it.