Woods no longer man to beat, but still the one to watch

Tiger Woods is not necessarily the man to beat at the US Open this weekend, but he is still the man everyone wants to see at Shinnecock Hills in Long Island, New York.

The 14-time major champion played only nine holes on Tuesday, teeing off at the crack of dawn accompanied by last-start Memorial winner Bryson DeChambeau and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson.

He completed his work, did a little practice, spoke to the media and left the course to return to his luxury yacht at nearby Sag Harbor before the sun was even over the yardarm.

But not before thousands of fans, at least those who avoided the traffic jams outside the course, had taken the chance to catch a glimpse of one of sport’s most famous celebrities.

Woods also remains a huge draw with the media and although he predictably said nothing noteworthy on Tuesday, he still drew a standing-room only audience at his news conference.

Seats were easier to come by, however, when the game’s current crop of top players, including Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Jason Day, paraded through the media center.

“I think everyone realizes it’s different when Tiger turns up,” said former world No. 1 Day, no longer in awe of Woods the person after nearly a decade on tour, but still in awe of his achievements, which include 79 PGA Tour victories.

“Everyone wants to see what he looks like, or how big he is, or just see the myth behind Tiger Woods. I know I was like that when I first saw Tiger. I wanted to go on the putting green and putt around next to him, and stare at him.”

Yet Day had a different attitude when he was on the practice green on Tuesday, and Woods arrived, with hundreds of fans in tow. “I told him to go away,” Day joked. Woods’s return has been far from ceremonial, as he has worked his way up to 80th in the world after beginning the year at No. 656.

He authored back-to-back top-five finishes in March, including a tie for second at the Valspar Championship. He also shot 10 under over the final two days of The Players Championship to tie for 11th, and was tied for seventh entering the final round of the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago before settling for 23rd. (Reuters)