Tiger Woods Excited to be Back in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock

U.S. Open veteran and golf champion Tiger Woods answered questions about his mega yacht and this weekend’s tournament at a press conference on Tuesday.

This will be Woods’ 20^th U.S. Open and possibly his 10^th win if he’s successful. However, he hasn’t played the U.S. Open since 2015, so he’s eager to get out and complete at Shinnecock Hills.

“I’ve missed playing in the U.S. Open. It’s our nation’s title,” he told reporters. “It’s meant so much to me and my career. To have won it nine times is pretty special. I’m looking forward to playing this week. This will be another fun test.”

Nevertheless, the course at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club has been altered a bit since he was last there three years ago.

“From the two times I’ve played here previously it’s a lot longer. The fairways seem to be about twice as wide. It’s a very different test, look,” he said.

As thrilled as Woods is to play this weekend, he is not looking forward to the inevitable chaos that is tournament traffic. He even anticipates it causing delays and possible absences from tee times.

“There’s a good chance that someone might miss their time. You get a little traffic, fender bender. It’s not [in]conceivable that someone could miss their time,” he said.

17-year-old Noah Goodwin actually did miss his practice tee time on Monday after getting stuck in traffic for an hour and 40 minutes for what is typically a 16-minute drive.

During the press conference, it was confirmed that Woods has actually docked his 155-foot mega yacht, Privacy, in Sag Harbor for the tournament. The drive to Shinnecock is around 30 minutes without traffic, but he seems to be enjoying his stay.

“Sag Harbor’s a cute little town. I’ve only been there for a few days now, I haven’t really gotten a chance to walk about a little bit, but I certainly will this week,” he said. “It’s been nice so far to sort of get away from the tournament scene.”

The 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club runs from June 14 to June 17 and is the fifth U.S. Open to be held at this course.