Tiger Woods
Age: 42
Best result in 2018: T2 Valspar Championship
Best Open finish: 1st (2000, 2005, 2006)
Major wins: 14
Strengths
Woods comes into The Open with the least number of rounds under his belt by any top player. His energy and insatiable desire to play well again are evident for all to see. He has physically and thus mentally realised that we all succumb to Father Time in one way or another, revealing the body’s fragility. Frankly, it is refreshing to see. In just 11 starts in 2018, Tiger has played very well with a second, three top 10s and seven top 25s. If the weather is kind, if the caddie is calm and if he manages his energy, Tiger can contend.
Weaknesses
If Tiger is to fail this week, it will be through strategy. Too many times this year I have seen him abandon classic Jack Nicklaus strategy, which was a hallmark in Tiger’s repertoire, before he substituted go-for-broke shots at the wrong time. Was Steve Williams better than Joe Lacava on Tiger’s bag? No question. I have seen too many strategic errors down the stretch this year to give me confidence he can finish the job. He needs to employ the same economic wisdom to his course management as he has done with his physical game. Cut out those schoolboy errors, Tiger.
Rating 3.5