Golf Major Tournament
150th British Open: Tiger Woods back in his territory
Exciting the masses in Scotland: Tiger Woods. Photo: Peter Morrison/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The British Open is the fourth and last major tournament of the year for the best golfers. Superstar Tiger Woods associates special memories with the oldest golf course in the world.
Just in time for the anniversary, the legend returns to the cradle of golf: When Tiger Woods celebrates a small comeback at the 150th British Open from Thursday onwards, it will be very special moments for the golf superstar on the historic Old Course in St. Andrews .
“As soon as it became clear over time that I could play golf at a high level again, my whole focus was on returning here to St. Andrews,” said Woods before the fourth and final major tournament of the year at the self-proclaimed “Home of Golf”. . And emphasized: “It is the most historic tournament that we have. I just didn’t want to miss that.”
For the 46-year-old Californian, the British Open is only the third PGA tournament since his serious car accident in February 2021, in which he broke his right leg several times. After his celebrated comeback at the Masters in April, the setback followed: The 15-time major winner had to give up at the PGA Championship in Tulsa in May for the first time in his professional career at a major tournament. The pain in the leg was too bad. He then skipped the US Open in June to fully prepare for his favorite spot on the east coast of Scotland.
“Meaned so much to me”
“It meant so much to me. This is where I made the grand slam of my career, »said Woods, looking at his successes. In 1995 he played the Open in St. Andrews for the first time, then still as an amateur. He later won two (2000, 2005) of his three British Open titles (also in 2006) on what the organizer says is the oldest golf course in the world, the Old Course.
This year, Woods is unlikely to be competing for the record $2.5 million winner’s purse. His body is far from 100 percent again; sometimes you can still see a slight limp in him. Favorites are world number one and Masters winner Scottie Scheffler and Olympic champion Xander Schauffele (both USA) who is in good form. The Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, British Open Champion of 2014, or last year’s US winner Collin Morikawa can also be expected. This time, Germans are not teeing off in the legendary golf pilgrimage destination.
“My body can certainly do better, but realistically, not by much. He’s been through a lot, and at 46 you don’t heal as well as you do at 26,” Woods said. He will contest his opening lap on Thursday afternoon together with his compatriot Max Homa and the Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Woods activates the crowds
In any case, the US star activated the masses: over 1.3 million tickets were requested for the $14 million event, 290,000 spectators are expected in the rough dune landscape – a record. The previous high was in 2000. That was when Tiger Woods won the trophy, the famous Claret Jug, for the first time, with more than 239,000 spectators watching.
The last appearance on his favorite course may now follow – the venues of the British Open rotate annually. “I don’t know how many Open Championships I have left here in St Andrews, but I wanted this one. For me it started here in 1995 and if it ends here in 2022 then so be it,” Woods said.
