Tiger Woods US Open tee time: When he plays on Day 1

“I feel like my game is in the best shape it’s been in a long time”, he says.

“We were going to come up right after Memorial anyways to play and probably go back Wednesday”, he said. “It definitely would be awesome to get my second major”. “I keep on promising my daughter that I’ll bring home trophies”, Reed said. All it takes for him to temper any frustrations is to look back at previous year, when he didn’t know if he would even play another U.S. Open.

Four of his runner-up finishes have come at New York-area courses – 2002 and 2009 at Bethpage Black, 2006 at Winged Foot, and 2004 at Shinnecock where a three-putt from 5 feet on No. 17 resulted in a double bogey and a two-stroke loss to Retief Goosen.

Mickelson said earlier this week his goal is to be in position on the weekend so he’s not trying to look that far ahead.

“I had no expectation or thought that I actually could be here again”, he said, reflecting on his health 12 months ago.

Mickelson is grouped for the first two rounds with the other two active players who are one major away from completing the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy (Masters) and Jordan Spieth (PGA Championship). I understand they’re trying to give us an opportunity to run the ball up, have more fall-offs, a lot of pitch and runs and all different shots around the greens. “And to move the tee back to 620 yards, which is the total MO of the USGA, they do it every course, I don’t agree with”.

Tiger Woods in a past action.

Asked about the video of his arrest and how his life has changed, Woods replied, “It’s gotten better”. Woods ranks in the top five in strokes gained around the green, but 89th in strokes gained on the green and 123rd off the tee.

“I can see that there may be a sense of. this is the last kind of push that he needs for his career”, Day said. “I feel like I got a lot of confidence in it, and I feel like I can play this golf course well”.

But as Woods docks his yacht near Shinnecock Hills this week he’s still a golfing enigma of sorts.

Time after time, the world’s best golfers have been made to look incredibly stupid, with putts running off the front of greens, and four putts being nearly common place.

Shinnecock, on the narrow eastern part of Long Island, is accessible by only one road, but Woods will arrive from the east, against the worst of the traffic.

The second major of the year is upon us as 155 players battle it out to become the victor of the 118th US Open. He will tee off on Thursday on the 10th tee with fellow past U.S. Open winners Lucas Glover and Graeme McDowell. The fairways are slightly wider, which should help. “So the challenge has been to shut it down and get some rest”.

“I’m really of the mindset that it doesn’t matter what the golf course is, I can adapt my game to fit anything”. You’ve seen the tournaments I’ve played in this year, there’s always something.

“I’m just sitting in the bus watching TV”.

“But, I mean, I would like to think I have an advantage if I drive it well, versus an average driving distance person”.

On Tuesday, he spoke about playing Shinnecock Hills as an opportunity to add to his three U.S. Open titles, but also as filling a hole in his existence after skipping the last two. I didn’t know if I was going to have them again. His other short-game work, though, hasn’t been quite as tidy. With the world’s ridicule once more heaped upon his shoulders, he watched the US Open from his sofa, texting his friends on tour as to the benign nature of Erin Hills.

The U.S. Open filled out its 156-man field Monday when two players, Emiliano Grillo and Byeong Hun An, were among the top 60 in the world ranking. “I didn’t even know”. So whatever you get, you get. This is his chance to make that argument stick. But with these conditions some of the lesser guys that aren’t necessarily big hitters like Matt Kuchar can play well this week.

“It’s the toughest test in golf”, Spieth said.