Hype grows as hero warms up for Open test
THE first time Tiger Woods played golf in Ireland, on a buddies trip before the 1998 Open, he was worried that the crowd walking with him down the fairways at Waterville would get too close.
The late Payne Stewart, sensing his nervousness, walked over and put an arm around his shoulder. ‘Ah Tiger, you never have to worry about the crowds here,’ Stewart reassured him. ‘They’ll show you all the respect and affection you need.’ Twenty-five years on, Tiger was back in Ireland drawing an extraordinary gathering to the first tee at the JP McManus pro-am yesterday.
Veteran Irish pro Des Smyth, taking up announcing duties, echoed Stewart’s words from long ago in capturing the mood of the 40,000 spectators perfectly. ‘On the first tee, and I hope he won’t mind me taking the liberty, the ONE AND ONLY Tiger Woods!’ he said.
This was the first time Tiger had been seen since withdrawing from the USPGA Championship in May, clearly in a great deal of pain following the third round. He was certainly relaxed enough in the build-up at picturesque Adare Manor, as Leona Maguire took advantage of a tee-time just after the great man to have a chat.
‘I got a picture with him too!’ said the 27-year-old, demonstrating that even Ireland’s greatest woman golfer can still feel awe-struck.
How did Tiger look, with The Open now just nine days away? The heart sank when he told a Sky Sports interviewer on the first tee that he didn’t know how he’d be able to negotiate driving a cart through the crowds.
More encouraging was him forsaking the buggy following a fine approach from the middle of the first fairway to walk to the green. He ambled along with that limping shuffle we grew accustomed to seeing at the Masters in April, but at least there were no grimaces over the opening holes, as there were in Tulsa in May.
Alongside Woods were three members of the Smurfit family. Imagine playing off a double-digit handicap and standing next to Tiger with spectators lined 20 deep down each side of the first fairway? We’ll draw a veil over their efforts but suffice to say they didn’t follow Tiger’s effort down the middle.
Dressed in a suitably appropriate green polo shirt amidst various layers of black, this was just Tiger’s eighth round in public in the last 16 months, following his horrific car accident. As with the other seven, it emphasised that the hardest thing for the 46-year-old these days is the thing that used to come so effortlessly — the physical challenge. His technique looks as sound as ever, and there’s still the requisite speed through the ball, but walking is plainly something that will never come naturally again.
Adare Manor will be the venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup and a Ryder Cup-style crowd continued to follow the game’s ultimate Pied Piper, despite the bogeys racking up. Needless to say, no one was bothered about his score.
Woods was part of perhaps the most illustrious field ever assembled for a pro-am, with ten of the world’s top 12 in attendance, including No 1 Scottie Scheffler and No 2 Rory McIlroy.
All the players have bought into JP’s vision for this two-day event being staged for the first time in 12 years, and expected to raise the astounding sum of £45million for local charities. Most will then move on to the Genesis Scottish Open beginning on Thursday, that has attracted the strongest field for any event in the history of the DP World Tour.
Tiger, naturally, will not be among them. He will remain at Adare Manor for the rest of the week before moving on to St Andrews, and his favourite course in the world. If nothing else, the heartfelt reception in Limerick will certainly stand him in good stead for the raw emotion that lies ahead at the Home of Golf.