PINEHURST, NC – During a wide-ranging, if brief, media session Tuesday morning, Tiger Woods touched on a range of topics, and Woods’ overriding emotion was optimism … whether or not it’s based in reality.
Woods is attempting two different, extraordinarily difficult feats: returning to big-winning ways after a catastrophic injury at age 48, and trying to hold together a professional game that seems in danger of breaking completely in two.
Tiger Woods is the GOAT, but these two monumental challenges may be beyond even his peerless capabilities.
First the general, then the specific. Woods and several other PGA Tour representatives met last week with officials from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the backer of LIV Golf and the driving force behind the division that has torn the golf world into two distinct halves. At last week’s Memorial, Rory McIlroy described these conversations as “productive,” and Woods agreed with that assessment.
“Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I think we are closer to that point than we were before the meeting,” Woods said, noting that both sides “felt very positive” about how the session was going.
“Both sides looked at different ways to get to the endgame,” Woods added. “I think both sides shared a deep passion about how to get there. And yes, there will be differences of opinion, but we all want the same thing.”
Of course, Woods didn’t go into the details of what exactly that “same” is, though he did allow that there could be “many different endings” – presumably including everything from a complete merger of businesses to the continuation of two different endings. tours.
So…progress? If anything, Woods seemed to have raised the possibility that an agreement is within reach, which is a far cry from how others involved in the negotiations would describe the process. As always… we wait.
That’s off course. On the course, Woods last played a US Open at Pinehurst in 2005, when he finished solo second behind winner Michael Campbell. Woods was injured in 2014 when Martin Kaymer destroyed the field, so this year marks his first look at the sand-and-wire grass version of Pinehurst. He noted that the course’s infamous Turtleback Greens will pose a serious challenge.
“The last few days playing practice rounds – I’m guilty, as are the rest of the guys I’ve played with – we’ve been putting off a lot of greens,” he said. “It depends on how serious the USGA wants to make this and how close they want to get us to those parties.”
As for his own health, Woods noted that the key now is simply staying healthy enough to play all four rounds. “I feel like I have the power to do this. It’s just a matter of doing it,” he said. “This golf course will test every aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline required to play this particular golf course will take a lot.”
Pinehurst doesn’t have the hills of Augusta National or Valhalla, and the Carolina weather in June will be much warmer, which will be a welcome change for Woods. “Hot and humid is what we deal with every day at home in Florida, so that’s nothing new. It just keeps me hydrated and the mental strain that the heat brings,” he said. “I’d rather play in warm, humid conditions than cold conditions any day.”
So far this year in the majors, Woods has limped to a 60th-place finish at the Masters and missed the cut at Valhalla for the PGA Championship. He will tee off with Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick on Thursday at 7:29 a.m. ET.
