Tiger Woods warns players could be late for tee times at US Open
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 13/06/18 6:12am
Tiger Woods has warned that players at the US Open could be in danger of missing their tee times due to the difficulties in travelling from New York to Shinnecock Hills.
Woods is unlikely to encounter any of the traffic problems that many of his fellow competitors, caddies, media personnel and spectators have encountered in the early part of the week, with roads starting to become jammed as early as 5:30am.
People travelling to Shinnecock Hills from the west have faced huge delays as there is only one major road in and out of the venue, but Woods has avoided these issues by mooring his yacht, Privacy, at Sag Harbor.
This leaves the three-time champion with a much easier route to the course from the north-east, as he does not have to negotiate the vast volume of traffic battling to get there from the city.
"Staying on the dinghy helps," said a relaxed Woods, who has followed the same tactics in his past two starts at Shinnecock Hills in 1995 and 2004. "My dad and I were fortunate enough to have stayed with one of the members close by here in '95, so it wasn't that bad.
"And in 2004, again, I stayed not too far away from here, probably only just a few miles, but I was north as well. So it makes the traffic so much easier.
"There are a few guys so far this week have said it's taken them two-and-a-half to three hours from the hotel, so there's a good chance that someone might miss their time. You get a little traffic, you get maybe a little fender bender, it's not inconceivable someone could miss their time."
The Shinnecock Hills layout has been lengthened by 449 yards since the 2004 US Open, when controversy reigned on the final day when the greens needed watering in between groups, and Woods believes the course changes make for a different test of golf.
"It has changed a lot from the two times I've played it previously, it's a lot longer," said Woods, who is returning to the US Open for the first time since 2015. "The fairways seem to be about twice as wide, so it's a very different test, a very different look. So many of the trees are gone.
"The greens probably aren't quite up to speed yet, but they're right where they want them. And, as the golf course dries out, this golf course is going to be another great US Open test."
This week marks 10 years since Woods last won a major title, when he defied the pain from a stress fracture in his left leg to edge out Rocco Mediate in the last 18-hole play-off on Monday - a format that has now been scrapped and replaced by a two-hole aggregate play-off on Sunday evening.
Woods added: "I understand it because everyone wants to see a result on Sunday. It's pretty interesting; we've got a sudden death, we've got a two-hole, three-hole and four-hole play-offs now. It's all about just ending it on Sunday night.
"I was actually very glad that I didn't have to play any more holes in '08. I really couldn't go much further on that Sunday. So that's going to be different, if it ever happens, but I totally understand having a result on Sunday."
