Tiger targeting big US Open triumph?

From all indications, Tiger Woods is building up to a grand comeback to the top of the historic US Open at the East course of the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania next month. After a hiatus following his very public and very personal relationship debacle, he is piling up stats similar to the Tiger Woods of old.

With February his only weak month this year, Woods has tallied strong performances in January (Farmers Insurance), March (WGC Cadillac and Arnold Palmer), April (tied for fourth at The Masters) and May (tied for second at the Players Championship), the 2008 US Open winner is looking to climb back to the top in one of the most traditionally dramatic golf tournaments in the game.

A lot of eyes will be on Woods, as he is favored to win this year. Tiger’s last conquest of the US Open came at Torrey Pines in San Diego, home of the Optimist Junior World Golf Championship. He hasn’t claimed a major title in five years, but finished just four shots off winner Adam Scott at The Masters. He opened as a 5-1 favorite in betting polls, ahead of 2011 champ Rory McIlroy. This is the second time Tiger’s career has cycled. After he won the Masters in his first season as a pro, he spent two years reconstructing his swing, the investment paid off, as he became the behemoth of the modern golfing game. But with his very public personal issues hopefully having been closed behind him, this would be a picture-perfect setting for the culmination of his comeback.

The US Open itself has had a long history of fighting for respectability. Originally considered a side event to the US Amateur championship in 1895, it had experienced being postponed to give way to the America’s Cup yacht race and other events. It started out as a playing ground for American amateurs, until a wave of British immigrants started showing them up. This made for the original high drama as social stratification and the history between the two countries colored the US Open’s early days. Americans have a long memory when it involves British invasions and conquest.

What fans love is the pattern of drama at the US Open, which Merion has hosted five times since 1981. Perhaps you’d recognize the 2005 film “The Greatest Game Ever Played”. A young Shia LaBeouf plays 20-year old Francis Ouimet, who overcame social and political pressures to defeat his idol and 1900 US Open winner, Englishman Harry Vardon at the 1913 tournament. Ouimet was considered a nobody, not even allowed to step on the fairway, and his own father did not respect his desire to become a professional golfer. He did not come from an affluent family, but became the darling of the masses, putting a face on their desire to upstage the British.

Traditionally, the US Open’s courses are crafted to draw great driving from the players. This has been a source of some spectacular shots through the years. But the trend of having shorter holes makes the compact East Course at Merion even more relevant. Even defending champion Webb Simpson acknowledges how challenging the course is going to be. He says the first 13 holes will be where most golfers will have to try to make their birdies, because the last five holes will be among the most difficult ever played, the gauntlet after a relatively easy walk through the fairways.

The 13th hole will be a main attraction at Merion, primarily because it is a tough, short, well-guarded 115 yards. A deep bunker intimidates those who may accidentally come up short, and you can’t see the bottom of the flagstaff, so you’re guessing where the pin actually is. The green itself is particularly tilted and will likely bleed shots from the more unfortunate participants. On top of that, for the Open it will be next to the clubhouse, so huge crowds will greet the players as they make their way to the Calvary of holes 14 to 18.

The 16th hole will undoubtedly be a tripping point which will separate the good from the great. The 430-yard par-4 curves greatly, with the fairway coiled around a mess of bunkers, rocks and shrubs, a gauntlet if there ever was one. From the air, it looks fittingly like a gargantuan question mark, a foreboding sign in itself. You’d have to dig deep into your bag of tricks to get past this one. 

Of course, the 18th hole is where a piece of unforgettable golf history was made, and the romance lingers in the air for golf purists. A plaque marks the spot where Ben Hogan hit a spectacular shot to win the 1950 edition just a year and a half after he was involved in a horrific vehicular accident. That moment cemented his place as a golfing legend. Fans of golfing history often try to replicate that shot, until they see their balls roll off the tricky green. That gives them a greater appreciation of the feat.

On the marketing side, the relatively small, 111-acre size of Merion also delights purists, since it cuts down on the huge commercialism of past US Opens, and also makes it improbable to have the massive crowds that have attended past events. That having been said, the television audience will more than made up for that.

This blend of history, trendiness and anticipation is the perfect setting for Tiger Woods to reclaim the abiding respect of the golfing community, after having shown his humanity and vulnerability, it is time to remind everyone of his uncanny skills in an incredibly challenging game.