Tiger Woods has been checking the weather forecasts for Turnberry in Scotland as he prepares for his first British Open tournament since 2007.
The world number one, who missed last year’s event because of injury, said the unpredictable British weather is what makes the Open so special, forcing players to re-draft their game-plans even at the last minute.
Writing in his blog, the three-times Open champion, gunning for his 15th major title, said he arrived in Turnberry and was spending time trying to figure out what the course will do. He wrote:
“I hadn’t played the course prior to this week, but did watch video of the 1994 British Open. They’ve changed the course since then, adding bunkers and length, so I’m not sure what we’re going to get.
“You just never know what the conditions are going to be and you have to deal with it. That’s part of the charm of the tournament and why we all love it over there. It could be bone-dry like Hoylake, or rainy like Muirfield in 2002. I didn’t play last year, but it could be windy as well.â€
Woods will be without his coach Hank Haney this week, though he is confident about his swing. The American-Thai said he would decide whether to carry a 5-wood or 2-iron once he completes his practice rounds.
Woods has played well prior to the first two majors of the year. He won PGA Tour events before the US Masters and US Open but failed to land the majors despite some strong performances.
It is a familiar story going into the Open with Woods winning the last tournament he played, the National, two weeks ago. He hopes the putting that served him well at the Congressional Country Club will also be of use in Scotland.
“I feel good about my game right now. One thing about Congressional Country Club: You have to hit the ball well to score, and if you miss the ball in the wrong spots, you have some serious lag putting. Lag putting was one of my strengths that week and I hope it carries over to Turnberry.â€
