Woods says links course is his best shot at winning another major

Tiger Woods doesn’t feel as old at the oldest championship in golf.

Back at the British Open for the first time in three years, Woods broke from his tradition on Tuesday morning. Instead of being among the first on the tee for practice, he didn’t show up at Carnoustie until his news conference just before lunch. Then, he played nine holes with Masters champion Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau.

Entering the year having not played any major since the end of 2015 and the start of three back surgeries, Woods has been feeling better as 2018 has gone on. And there’s something about links golf that inspires him.

“It’s my favourite type of golf to play. I love playing here, this type of links golf, or a style of links golf down on the Aussie sand belt ... because it is creative. We’re not going to get the most perfect bounces. And I think that’s the fun challenge of it.”

He made his links debut at Carnoustie in 1995 as an amateur at the Scottish Open, a week before his British Open debut at St. Andrews. He hasn’t contended on the back nine in the previous Opens at Carnoustie, in 1999 and 2007, though he wasn’t far from a playoff.

Might this be his best shot at winning another major?

“Not to be smart, but it is the next major I’m playing,” Woods said with a laugh.

But over time, he thinks it might be his best chance because of history. Woods, 42, recalls 53-year-old Greg Norman playing in the final group at Royal Birkdale in 2008, a major Woods missed because of knee surgery. The following year, Woods missed the cut for the first time at the British Open, when 59-yearold Tom Watson was one putt away from winning at Turnberry.

“You don’t have to be long to play on a links-style golf course,” Woods said. “You get to places like Augusta National, where it’s just a big ballpark, and the golf course outgrows you, unfortunately. That’s just the way it goes. But a links-style golf course, you can roll the ball. Distance becomes a moot point.”

That said, distance is everything at Carnoustie this year. How far the ball travels in the warm, dry air is not the issue. It’s how far it travels once it gets on the baked turf.

“There’s not a lot of opportunities to hit the driver, just because the ball is going to be rolling 80 yards,” Woods said. “It’s just hard to keep the ball in play.”

Woods had a 2-iron built for him for the British Open, and he wonders how much he’ll even use it. That has been too much club off the tee. Instead, most of his shots are with a 3-iron or 4-iron.