Breaking news: Tiger Woods Sends Blunt 10-Word Warning to U.S. Open Field Before First Round
In 2005, the last time Tiger Woods teed it up at a U.S. Open held at Pinehurst No. 2, the 15-time major champion finished runner-up and just two strokes behind eventual champion Michael Campbell.
Woods, who was forced to withdraw ahead of the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 due to injury, is back on the grounds this week and forecasting similarly brutal conditions to his second-place finish from over 15 years ago.
Speaking specifically on the difficult green complexes at Pinehurst No. 2, Woods said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the game’s best players playing another sport around the greens this week.
“I foresee just like in ‘05 watching guys play ping-pong [around the greens],” Woods said.
Known for its brutal inverted-bowl greens, Pinehurst No. 2 will force even the best players in the world to have second thoughts about how to attack certain chip shots – and even putts.
The low, grainy areas surrounding the green complexes at Pinehurst No. 2 were expertly navigated by Martin Kaymer in 2014, who used putter frequently en route to an 8-shot victory at the last U.S Open held at the historic North Carolina site.
It would be no surprise if this year’s U.S. Open champion ends up being the golfer most effective around the greens at Pin
ehurst No. 2.