Peter Finch has revealed what it was really like to be up close as Tiger Woods was practicing on the range ahead of The Open Championship.
Tiger Woods was one of the star attractions at Royal Troon, with many intrigued to see if the 48-year-old could end his major championship season on something of a high.
Woods had to respond from comments from Colin Montgomerie ahead of the event, with the Scot discussing whether the 15-time major champion should even be playing if he is not physically ready to try and compete at The Open Championship.
Unfortunately, Woods was unable to silence his doubters with his performance over the first two rounds. The American was one of a number of big names who failed to make the cut.
What Peter Finch noticed about Tiger Woods on the range ahead of The Open
Few would have been surprised by Woods not playing on the weekend, as he continues to play an incredibly limited schedule. But there were glimpses of the previous magic – including, it seems, on the range ahead of his rounds.
Speaking on The Rough Cut Golf Podcast, Finch shared how he was initially so impressed while watching Woods on the range, but also felt that he had reason to worry as he left the practice ground.
“It was single-handedly one of the most impressive bits of ball-striking. It was so consistent, throughout the irons, the same peak trajectory, the strike, the flight, it was one after the other, bang, bang, bang. Beautiful to watch. To watch him that close and to see him swing like that was, it was getting me a little bit pumped up, I was like, ‘oh my god, he’s actually still unbelievable’. And I was like, ‘this is great, this is great’,” he said.
“But then, he took a step back and the way he was standing, you could just tell how uncomfortable he was, as soon as he walked off the range, I was like ‘he’s going to struggle’. I should have put a bet on really, because I knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to get to that first tee, he was going to have a good first few holes, he was one under through three, and then he just started to tire, started to get stiff.
“The conditions for him this week, they were so far away from being right for him, it was cold, it was windy, there was no way he was going to be loose. But to watch him on the range and be that close, I’ll remember that for a long time. It was really cool.”
Something surely has to change
Woods’ 2019 Masters victory definitely gives many people hope that they have not seen the last of him when it comes to contending in the game’s biggest events. But you do get the feeling after 2024 that something needs to change.
Woods is seemingly not able to play a lot more due to the injuries he has had over the years, but that also means that he often arrives at the majors with very little tournament preparation behind him.
Some think Woods needs to play more in 2025, possibly taking that gamble that he is going to pick up an injury or two along the way. And given how good he has been, it may not be too long before he grows tired of struggling and feels that something needs to change.
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