Tiger Woods and son Charlie arrive for the US Open practice at Pinehurst Resort
Tiger Woods and his son Charlie are at the US Open. On Tuesday morning (June 11), the legendary golfer and his son got on the golf course at Pinehurst to practice for this weekend's tournament that gets underway on June 13. They were seen wearing matching pink shirts and working on Woods' game as he aims to end his Major title drought.
Charlie has been a frequent companion of Woods lately. He showed up at the Masters to help his father practice and is doing the same this weekend. Charlie is an amateur golfer who has tried to qualify for PGA Tour events, and the exposure to golf on the biggest stage can be helpful for his development there.
Woods is practicing before the US Open, hoping to fine-tune his game for an unexpected run. He made the cut at the Masters Tournament before spiraling into a last-place finish and then missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
However, according to the New York Post, Woods is hopeful about his game heading into the US Open. He said after the PGA Championship:
“I need to play more. Unfortunately, I just haven’t played a whole lot of tournaments, and [there are] not a whole lot of tournaments on my schedule, either. Hopefully, everything will somehow come together in my practice sessions at home and be ready for Pinehurst."
The 48-year-old added that he improved physically from April's Masters to May's PGA, and that trend could continue for this month's US Open Championship:
“I still have more ways to go, lots of improvement to go physically, and hopefully my team and I can get that done pre-Pinehurst and going into it.’’
Woods has not won a Major since 2019 when he surprised the world with a win at the Masters. His last US Open victory came in 2008.
Tiger Woods with strong odds to make the cut at US Open
It is quite a feat to make the cut at a Major tournament no matter what. There are 156 players in the US Open field, so being among the last standing is worthy of praise. That is, however, easier said than done, especially for a 48-year-old, ailing Tiger Woods who missed the cut last time out.
At Pinehurst, however, the odds are good that Woods will make the cut. Oddsmakers believe in his ability to bounce back, listing him at 9/4 to make it to the third round (SportingLife).
The cut line could be any score, but Tiger Woods must play well in order to keep playing. He was solid in the opening round of the PGA Championship, shooting one over par. Things fell apart in Round 2 leading to an early exit, and he will need to avoid those sorts of rounds this weekend.