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The Roar

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Tiger signs on for US Open, but will he start?

Tiger Woods on the course. (Keith Allison/Flickr - CC BY-SA 2.0)
Expert
4th May, 2016
1

One of Tiger Woods’ adrenalin rushes comes from headlines, so the question has to be asked: is he pulling the media chain for some recognition?

Or will he be on the first tee at Oakmont come July 16?

The 40-year-old hasn’t won a major since the 2008 US Open – that’s 30 majors ago.

He hasn’t won a PGA tournament since the WCG-Bridgestone Invitational in 2013, the last time he was Player of the Year (for the 11th time).

That year 20-year-old Jordan Spieth was Rookie of the Year, having started 2013 ranked 810, and finishing 21st, winning the John Deere, finishing second three times, with nine top tens and a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup.

That comfortably beat Woods’ record professional debut year in 1996, with two wins, and five top tens.

Woods spent a record 683 weeks as world number one, the last on May 17, 2014, but today he’s 508, by far the worst of his 20-year career.

Can Tiger make it back?

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The answer has to be no – for two reasons.

He hasn’t played since August last year, when he underwent three back operations, and while many on tour want to welcome him back, no-one is afraid of him anymore.

At Woods’ peak, the vast majority of golfers teed off with a mindset playing for second; Woods had them in negative territory.

He’s four shy of Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 majors, and three short of Sammy Snead’s 82 PGA wins.

Both records are safe.

So when will Woods reappear in time for the US Open? It’s certainly not this week at the Wells Fargo, but from the world’s top ten, Jason Day, Spieth, Bubba Watson, Danny Willett, and Dustin Johnson won’t be there either.

Spieth, Watson, Willett and Johnson haven’t surfaced since the Masters that Spieth blew in April.

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So Rory McIlroy will be the top ranked at the Wells Fargo, joined by Ricky Fowler, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, and Justin Rose.

Add Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Bill Haas, JB Holmes and the welcome return for the first time this year of Jim Furyk from wrist surgery, and it’s still a top field.

But how long before we know the comeback of Tiger Woods?

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