Tiger is set for U.S. Open test at challenging Chambers Bay
Tiger Woods hopes to contend this week in the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay near Puget Sound in University Place, Washington. He is a three-time winner of the tournament, most recently in 2008 at Torrey Pines. Woods is making his 19th U.S. Open start, and he has produced eight top-six finishes.
The 14-time major champion did not compete last year due to back surgery.
Tiger made the trip to Washington two weeks ago and spent two days practicing at Chambers Bay, a newish links-style course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The course is built on the site of a former sand quarry and has only one tree on the property.
Chambers Bay is likely to play between 7,200 and 7,600 yards, depending on the USGA setup, and is sure to challenge the 156-player field, especially if the wind blows. The USGA Course Rating is 77.3 and the Slope Rating is 145.
“It’s certainly different for a U.S. Open, that’s for sure,” Woods said Tuesday during his pre-tournament news conference. “We normally play pretty traditional golf courses where it’s back of the tees, narrow fairways, high rough and super-hard, fast greens. They have that here, but the only difference is some of the holes you can move the tees up 100 yards. There’s so many different ways you can play it.”
Tiger said his preparation has been unlike that for any major he has played in before.
“There’s three or four different tee shots on almost every hole,” he said.
Chambers Bay boasts four of the longest par-4’s in U.S. Open history: the 546-yard 14th, 537-yard 11th, 534-yard 13th and 525-yard 18th. The latter also features a 10-foot-deep pot bunker in the middle of the fairway about 100 yards short of the green.
Depending on weather and wind conditions, the course will play to a par of 36-34-70 when the first hole is used as a par-5, and 35-35-70 when the 18th hole is played as a par-5. Both holes can be switched to par-4’s, depending on what Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA, decides to do.
“It’s very challenging because Mike has so many options,” Tiger said. “We don’t see this even at the Open Championship because the greens aren’t banked like this.”
Woods arrived at Chambers Bay on Sunday and played nine holes. He played with Jason Day on Monday and paired with Jordan Spieth and Russell Henley on Tuesday.
Tiger noted the wind has blown from two directions, drastically altering club selection and strategy. For instance, the par-3 ninth, which will measure 217-224 yards and drops about 100 feet downhill, has the biggest elevation change on a hole in U.S. Open history. On his first visit, Tiger hit a 5-wood; on Sunday, he used a 5-iron.
“I think one of the more dramatic things I’ve noticed is how different it plays from morning to afternoon,” Woods said. “It’s just so much faster and drier [in the afternoon]. You just feel it as the day wears on.”
The greens are enormous, and many have severe undulation. As a result, some players will use the slopes or banks adjacent to the putting surfaces to carom balls toward the pin, which can produce funny bounces, good and bad.
“There will be some serious lag putts over mounds from 70 to 80 feet,” Tiger said.
While many believe the course favors long hitters, Woods said it depends on Davis.
“None of us know what Mike is gonna do with the setup,” Tiger said. “So it’s hard to predict that.”
Chambers Bay, the first course in the Pacific Northwest to host a U.S. Open, did hold the 2010 U.S. Amateur, when Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State defeated David Chung of Stanford, 4 and 2 in the finals. Uihlein was 8-under-par — with concessions — during the 34 holes played, and Chung was 2-under.
This week’s field includes 11 players who competed in the Amateur, including Patrick Reed, who reached the round of 32.
Tiger will be looking for his first top-10 showing on the PGA TOUR since the 2013 Barclays, a span of 19 starts. In his most recent outings, he tied for 17th at the Masters, tied for 69th at THE PLAYERS and finished 71st at the Memorial Tournament.
Asked about the state of his game, the 39-year-old Woods replied: “I hit the ball pretty good today. It’s getting better every day. I’m starting to get a feel for this golf course and what I need to do off the tees and where I need to miss it around the greens to certain pins.”
Tiger said he has implemented all of his major swing changes with coach Chris Como and it’s now a matter of fine-tuning. Although he shot a career-worst 85 in the third round of the Memorial, Woods insisted he wasn’t discouraged and it is simply part of the process of trying to improve.
“It’s tough going through it,” Tiger said. “I gotta go through it in front of the world. You gotta suck it up and do it. Somehow you have to make a shift. Short-term suffering for long-term gain.”
It’s not like Woods hasn’t done it before.
“I’ve made changes in the past, struggled through it and I’ve come out on the good side,” Tiger said. “It’s more commitment than anything else.”
While admitting this year has been a struggle, Woods said there is no doubt in his mind he can return to top form. If there was, he wouldn’t have rebuilt his swing again and put in all the work.
“I wouldn’t have made the changes if I wasn’t devoted to the game of golf and winning golf tournaments,” Tiger said. “I want to be out here, I want to play, I want to compete and I want to win.”
With 79 career victories on the PGA TOUR, Woods trails only Sam Snead (82) on the all-time list.
Asked if he can ascend to No. 1 again, a spot he held for 683 weeks, Woods replied, “Yeah.”
As far as pressure, Tiger said nothing has changed in that regard.
“It feels the same,” Woods said. “I want to win these championships. I love playing in them.”
Tiger will have the support of two special fans this week: his daughter, Sam, and son, Charlie. They accompanied him to Chambers Bay to give him an early Father’s Day present.
Woods will play the first two rounds with Rickie Fowler, recent winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, winner of the 2010 Open Championship. They are scheduled to start on the first tee Thursday at 5:28 p.m. ET and on the 10th tee Friday at 11:28 a.m. ET. All rounds will be televised by Fox and Fox Sports 1.
