Tiger’s making headlines, tee times have been announced and the weather is set to be changeable at best … it must be almost Open weekend.
The 150th Open tees off on Thursday, held for the 30th time on the Old Course at St Andrews. Packed with history, those legendary fairways have seen more drama than almost any other golf course in the world.
And if this year’s build-up is anything to go by, it won’t disappoint.
Will Tiger Woods retire from golf after The Open?
After a few turbulent years of injuries and a career-threatening car crash, rumours have emerged that Tiger Woods may retire from golf after competing at The Open.
The former World Number One and three-time Open winner – including two victories at St Andrews – has only competed twice since last February. And he’s already indicated that a full-time return to the PGA Tour is off the cards.
He sat out the US Open to make sure he was fighting fit at the final Major of the year, but could that mark the end of Tiger’s career?
The short answer is no.
Woods shut down speculation that he plans to retire after this weekend, though admitting that it may be the last time he plays competitively at St Andrews.
“I'm not going to play a full schedule ever again. My body just won't allow me to do that. I don't know how many Open Championships I have left here at St Andrews, but I wanted this one. It started here for me in '95, and if it ends here in '22, it does. If it doesn't, it doesn't. If I get the chance to play one more, it would be great, but there's no guarantee.”
Could the 15-time Major champion claim one more Claret Jug at the home of golf? It seems unlikely, but Woods certainly seems happy enough to take on the challenge – and there are plenty of people who would love to see it happen.
“Once I realised that I could possibly play at a high level, my focus was to get back here at St Andrews to play in this championship being, as I said, it's the most historic one we've ever had. I just didn't want to miss this Open here at the home of golf.
“This has meant so much to me. This is where I completed the career grand slam.”
One thing’s for sure, if this is to be Tiger Woods’ last Open, you can bet it will be a good one.
Round one and two tee times announced for the 150th Open
The official tee times have been announced for the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick will play alongside Tiger Woods and Max Homa. They tee off at 2.49pm on Thursday and 9.58am on Friday.
The final of Women & Golf’s top picks, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele tee off at 9.58am on Thursday with Collin Morikawa. They return at 2.59pm on Friday.
Read more about who we’re putting our money on.
The weather
It might be the most British thing I’ve ever written about, but there’s no escaping it: the weather will undoubtedly play a significant role in determining who lifts the Claret jug on Sunday.
The direction and strength of the wind alone can completely change the way the players attack the course.
With the Scottish links being famous for its changeable conditions from one hour to the next, it’s definitely luck of the draw whether you catch the best – or worst – of the weather.
Both Thursday and Friday look breezy and cloudy, with a chance of rain on both days. That changes going into the weekend though when things look a bit more settled. Look forward to sunshine and warmer weather to close out the 150th Open.
As Open-obsessed as us? You’ll read our article about the facts and history of The Open.
