Woods is ready to ride the wave
Tiger avoids traffic in his $20m yacht as he aims to make a splash
THe traffic lines stretch for so long on Long Island that Tiger Woods thinks there’s a good chance someone will miss their tee-time this week at the United States Open.
It just won’t be him. ‘There’s some advantages to owning a dinghy,’ he said, smiling.
Such is the scale of wealth on display at nearby Sag Harbour, Woods’ $20million yacht probably does feel like a dinghy, but even if it was a real one it might still be preferable to staying in a hotel. With few rooms available in this secluded vicinity of the Hamptons, the commute from the nearest decent hotel situated 30 miles away can take a horrific three hours.
even that, mind, Woods would have taken in a heartbeat this time last year. Twelve months ago, he had only just started to walk again following fusion surgery on his back and had found himself in a whole world of trouble by the side of a Florida highway after taking a drug or 20 too many.
‘Life has gotten better,’ he said, with considerable understatement. ‘Back then, there was no expectation of playing in this kind of tournament again. My only questions concerned whether I would have a standard of life. Forget golf. Can I actually participate in my kids’ lives again?
‘So, it was a bonus when someone said: “Why don’t you go hit some putts today?” Really? I can putt? To go from there to where I’m at now, I don’t take it for granted. I’ve missed playing the US Open. It’s our nation’s title event and it’s meant so much to me and my career.’
Woods has won the event three times, including once on the other end of Long Island at Bethpage in 2002, one of many occasions when he inflicted pain on his great rival, Phil Mickelson.
That was one of six runners-up finishes the veteran lefty has compiled in this tournament — another was here at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. Typical Phil, he got himself into a good position with three birdies in a row from the 14th, only to double-bogey the 17th to hand victory to the South African, Retief Goosen.
Mickelson will celebrate his 48th birthday on Saturday but even reaching that great age in golf terms has not diminished his desire to get the job done and complete the career Grand Slam.
even if he doesn’t succeed here, we haven’t heard the last of this saga of torment. In 2019, the tournament will be held at Pebble Beach, where Mickelson has won four PGA Tour events, and then at Winged Foot, where he finished — yes, you’ve guessed it — runner-up alongside Colin Montgomerie in 2006.
‘What an unbelievable accomplishment it would be if he were to manage it,’ said Tiger, one of only five men in the game’s history to do so. ‘Normally, you’d think he’d struggle in this event because of his driving but you need to be a great wedge player to do well in the US Open and he is one of the greatest wedge players the game has ever seen.’
For his part, Mickelson was unusually subdued, which in turn told you everything about how much is at stake.
He refused to entertain questions along the lines of what it would mean to him to finally win the season’s second major. ‘The last thing I’m thinking about right now is trying to win,’ he said. ‘I’m trying to get myself in position for the weekend because, when you try to go out and win a US Open, you lose it quick.’
There was a moment of levity when he was asked if he’d ever tried to win the event on a Thursday. ‘Yes, I have,’ he said. ‘And I was back home on Friday night.’
Mickelson is the most popular golfer in these parts and his form this year holds out some hope that he can deliver a New York fairytale. In March he won for the first time since his fabulous Tartan double of Scottish Open and Open titles in 2013, and he notched a top-15 finish in Memphis last week.
Normally, when you attend a Jordan Spieth press conference you’re bowled over by his eloquence — so it was positively stunning to be left reeling yesterday by his ignorance. What do you think of the new two-hole play-off format this year, he was asked, if there is a tie on Sunday. ‘First, I’ve heard of it,’ said the Open champion. ‘It’s still 18 holes, right?’ ‘No, it’s two.’ ‘I honestly had no idea. I was even looking at a weather forecast on Monday.’ ‘Why don’t you spend the day in the city, instead,’ said the helpful USGA spokesperson, sitting next to him. Or, more likely, spend the day sitting in a traffic jam trying to get there.
This is our nation’s title and means so much in my career