The U.S. Open—the second men’s golf major of the year—starts this Thursday, and the main attraction will be the World’s No. 1 player, Tiger Woods.
He remains stuck on 14 major victories since winning his last major championship in 2008, when he limped to a U.S. Open playoff victory over Rocco Mediate while playing on a broken leg and a torn ACL. He is still chasing all-time leader Jack Nicklaus who has 18 major wins and after that win in 2008, no one would have bet against him eclipsing The Golden Bear’s mark.
That was until those lost years derailed by scandal, divorce, more injury and another swing overhaul. The only question between him and winning his 15th major is whether or not he is back to his pre-2008 U.S. Open win levels.
There is the belief that Woods will not be ‘back’ until he wins another major. From Woods’ first major title at the 1997 Masters to the 2008 U.S. Open, the longest he had gone empty-handed was 34 months; now it is 60.
But Woods has been slowly but surely, putting the pieces of his game back together to start collecting trophies again; except the ones he treasures most. His seven PGA Tour wins in the past 15 months, including four in just eight events this year, show he is ready and makes him the prohibitive favorite to win.
Woods is also back to being No. 1 in the world and is the frontrunner to be named the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2013. Even after the washed out T-65th finish at the Memorial Tournament -- on a course he has owned over the years – he is the hottest player on tour coming into this tournament.
Even the oddsmakers and pundits agree, and overwhelmingly favor Woods to conquer the famed Merion East Course, one that the 78-time PGA Tour winner is not all that familiar.
The East Course plays a Par-70 at just 6996 yards. It has only 18 acres of tight fairways, no yardage markers anywhere, there is always an intermediate rough, dunes grass, Scotch broom and the bunkers of old remain with peninsulas, islands of grass and "eyebrows" guarding its small, magnificently-manicured greens; which happen to have wicker baskets on top of the flagsticks instead of flags.
But just remember, that one of the four wins this year was The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass course. Although familiar with the course, it was one that has given him all sorts of problems, and had won only once before.
Woods certainly can draw upon the way he managed his game at the TPC Sawgrass course, designed to leave no part of the game untested, and set his strategy on how to play at the small and very challenging Merion East Golf Course.
The thinking is that Woods will be able to hit less than driver on most holes and keep the ball in the fairway. He hits his five-wood a long way.
With the win at TPC Sawgrass, his health no longer a question, ranking second in scoring on Par-5’s, third in par breakers, and his putting better than ever (he ranked first in strokes-gained before drifting to fifth after Jack’s tourney), it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will capture his fourth U.S. Open trophy this week.
He is also nearing the end of his third year with swing coach Sean Foley, and has expressed he is feeling comfortable with his swing now. It shows in his demeanor and the confidence displayed when he is swinging the clubs.
Add to all this that finally he has some stability in the romance department. His relationship with Lindsay Vonn has placed him at a very different and comfortable personal level off the field. That seemed to be the last piece of his puzzle towards completing his 'comeback' and winning another major.
Once again, the eyes of the golfing world will be fixed on whether he can finally follow through on early promise and end his run without a major. The 37-year-old Woods is ready and primed to finally secure his 15th major win and shave one off Nicklaus’ lead to get within three of him.