dont mess with tigerNow I’m not one Tigers biggest supporters (I mean the guy does have some freakish golf skills) but after reading an msnbc.com article “Sorry, Tiger won’t tame this U.S. Open”, I have to come to his defense. Never count a guy out with his track record, no matter what odds he’s against. I understand the course is not as friendly for his type of game (tight fairways, deep rough) and he’s coming off an injury that might hamper his strength and distance, but Tiger has this driving force behind him that no other golfer has or will ever have. This force molded his work ethic, refined him into a leader, told him to ‘push harder’ when the going got tough. Even though it has been over 2 years since his passing, Tiger’s father Earl Woods still inspires a big part of what he brings to the golf course for every round he plays, so never count him out of any tournament.

Golf is not a game of X’s and O’s, its about course management and execution, that’s part of Tigers game that cuts himself apart from the field. If you think for a second that a guy who hits a high percentage of fairways if going to win the Open, then Olin Browne, Mark Brooks, Fred Funk, Scott Verplank and Bart Bryant should all be right there in the mix of things on Sunday (BTW those guys are the top 5 leaders in Fairways Hit percentage as of June 10th, 2008).

Yes, the U.S. Open is one of the toughest tournament playing conditions of the year, which levels out the playing field quite a bit, so look for Tiger to hit a fair number of 3-woods off the tee (stingers) and try to manage the course with his iron play.

Have a great Fathers Day weekend!