TIGER’S 80s REWIND
Masters champ could hone his Open skills at course of shame
NEWLY-CROWNED Masters champion Tiger Woods has hinted he’ll return to Royal County Down – 19 years after one of the most disastrous rounds of his career.
The five-time Green Jacket winner first travelled to Ireland in 2000 to contest the JP McManus Pro-Am.
But a day after winning at Adare Manor, at Royal Country Down, the US legend fourputted the first and made the turn in five-over en route to failing to break 80.
But his horror on the Ulster links gave him key experience needed to capture his first Open at St Andrews later that month as he become the youngest Grand Slam winner.
Now, ahead of the 148th Open being staged at Royal Portrush in July, Woods is interested in returning for practice rounds during the summer.
The now 15-time Major winner has won two of his three Claret Jugs by playing the week prior on the Emerald Isle.
He said: “With The Open in Portrush that’s something we might do and play warm-up rounds in Northern Ireland. I’ve only been there once before and that was to Royal Country Down so I’d look forward to going back.
“I just love travelling to Ireland as it’s fantastic. The people are great and I’ve been there a few times now playing in the Ryder Cup and enjoying being a part of JP’s Pro-Am and also playing a lot of other great golf courses.
“I love it over there and very much look forward to Portrush as I’ve never been there.”
But not all of Woods’s trials in the Emerald Isle have been hard going – in 2002 he set a course record 67 at the European Club and three years later played a match at Waterville.
Woods was also at The K Club in 2006 as part of the US Ryder Cup team and in 2010 again joined McManus’s Pro-Am.
It’s been confirmed the sixth staging of that event will take place next year on July 6 with Tiger indicating he will return to the completely rebuilt Adare Manor course.
Meanwhile, Francesco Molinari will look to put his Masters disappointment behind him with a second PGA Tour title of the season in the RBC Heritage.
The Italian took a two-shot lead into the final round and was still two ahead with seven holes to play, only to hit his tee shot on the daunting par-three 12th into Rae’s Creek to run up a double bogey.
Molinari responded with a birdie at the next and was part of a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard until he again found the water with his approach to the par-five 15th to card another double bogey, eventually settling for a share of fifth place.
And he has made the short journey to Hilton Head for an event that awards a tartan, rather than a Green Jacket to the winner
Xander Schauffele finished alongside Johnson in a share of second after being unable to birdie any of the last four holes and admits a lack of experience at Augusta potentially cost him.
He said: “It was like a dream. It’s only my second Masters and I jumped into that scene faster than I thought I would, to be completely honest.
“There were a lot of different pins that people haven’t seen in the past just because the greens were a bit softer.
“Tiger creates the atmosphere. He just creates this environment with the fans and crowds that is unmatched.
“So for him to do what he did, put a little extra pressure on everyone else and for me to enjoy that chase at the end was really cool.”
Scots duo Russell Knox and Martin Laird will be teeing up later today in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.
Knox has been a regular for the past five years and finished joint runner-up in 2016.
I love it over there and I very much look forward to Portrush TIGER WOODS