CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — At 42 years old now and more in tune with his mortality (something that seemed completely foreign to him while he was dominating the sport), Tiger Woods was asked on Tuesday if he feels the British Open provides his best chance to win a major championships now.
Woods won 14 major championships by age 32, but has been searching for No. 15 since his last win in 2008.
“Not to be smart,’’ Woods said with a smirk, “but it is the next major I’m playing, so … ’’
Woods then turned more serious and said: “As far as long term, certainly, I would say yes because of the fact that you don’t have to be long to play on a links-style golf course.
“Look what Tom [Watson] did at Turnberry at 59 (nearly winning the Open in 2009),’’ Woods added. “So it’s possible. Greg [Norman] was there at Birkdale, I think about 54-ish. It certainly can be done. You get to places like Augusta National, where it’s just a big ballpark, and the golf course outgrows you, unfortunately.
“That’s just the way it goes. But links-style golf course, you can roll the ball. I hit a 3-iron that went 330 [yards on Tuesday at Carnoustie]. Even if I get a little bit older, I can still chase some wood or long club down there and hit the ball the same distance. So distance becomes a moot point on a links-style golf course. But creativity plays such an important role, and you’ve got guys like Tom playing late in his career, doing well. There’s a reason why he won five [Opens].”
Woods, grouped with Russell Knox and Hideki Matsuyama in his opening-round that begins at 10:21 a.m. Eastern time Thursday, has won three Claret Jugs. He hasn’t played in an Open since he missed the cut in 2015 at St. Andrews.
“I’m really looking forward to it; this is our oldest championship, and to come back to such a historic site just brings back so many great memories,’’ Woods said. “This is my fourth championship here. It just brings back many great memories from playing as an amateur and, obviously, the two Opens I’ve played. The course is little bit different than what it was last couple times we’ve played it, so it will be a fun challenge.”
Carnoustie is baked out with brown-grass fiery fairways thanks to an unusually dry and hot summer, so it could represent a challenge similar to 2006 at Hoylake, where Woods won the last of his three British Opens by hitting only one driver all week.
“Yeah, it could be that way [this week],” he said. “Either case, I’m not going to hit that many long clubs off the tees, just because I hit a 3-iron on Monday down 18 that went 333 [yards]. It can get quick out here. So there’s not a lot of opportunities to hit the driver just because the ball is going to be rolling 80 yards. It’s just hard to keep the ball in play. Even hitting sometimes 4- and 5-irons, they’ve been running 50, 60 yards.’’
Woods has added a 2-iron hybrid to his bag this week, a club he’ll likely use to hit some tee shots.
“I went down in loft from my normal 2-iron,’’ he said. “My normal 2-iron is about 20 degrees. I bent this one down about 17. So I took a few degrees off of it, just trying to be able to have the ability to chase one down there. I still carry it about the same. It goes 245, 250 yards in the air, but it gets to its final destination much differently. It’s more of a driving club.
“It’s going to be an interesting test to see which clubs we’re going to be using off the tees, and a lot of it is dependent on which way the wind blows. It’s just understanding how to play the golf course and how to play these kind of conditions. Trajectory means a lot. This course can be played so many different ways, which is going to be the real interesting test is how we’re going to manage our way around the golf course.’’
