Tiger Woods also forgoes the second major of the year, the US Open, scheduled for next week (June 16-19) in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. The hope of seeing the champion again in the race gets further away every day. “I continue to work hard to get back to good health – writes Tiger on his website – but I'm not physically ready to play, I'm making progress, but I'm not fit enough to compete in a tournament”. Will it ever be again?
At 40, after 14 majors won, including three US Opens, after various surgeries, including three back operations, it's hard to imagine that Eldrick Tont Woods will ever be Tiger again. An era is closing forever, indeed, it has already closed for some years, even if the word end has not yet been pronounced. Admitting that golf has to do without Tiger is scary, because no matter how good today's champions are, no one has the charisma of him, that magnetic force capable of magnetizing the public, live and on TV.
Golf without TIger is much poorer and, it must be admitted, it is also more boring. For this reason, every gesture of the champion makes the news, for this reason we cling to every little hope, such as the fact that Oakmont signed up in April. “It was just a formal choice,” admits his agent Mark Steinberg. In essence, Tiger had signed up for the US Open, to have a chance to play in case a miracle happened.
The miracle didn't happen, he won't be on the field next week or even the following week, for the Quicken Loans National, a tournament organized by his Foundation in which he will participate only as a sponsor. Hopes will promptly rekindle for the Open Championship (July 14-17), but just as promptly they will be disappointed. It's a shame, because such an eventful golf season as this year has never been seen before.
The second leg of the grand slam will still be full of great names, the best that golf today has to offer. Among them also Matteo Manassero, who a couple of weeks ago won the qualification in an ad hoc tournament. Francesco Molinari, from Turin who plays permanently on the Pga Tour and who, this year, is struggling to maintain a good position in the world rankings, is not yet on the list of players.
Today he is 81st, far from the top 50 players in the world, a position that would allow him access by right to almost all the most important tournaments. Molinari, however, has talent and good will and is trying hard to get an invitation. He played last week, at Memorial, where he didn't pass the cut and he will play again this week in a tournament that almost all the big names deserted, but with an important first coin and the right exemptions.
This is the FedEx St. Jude Classic, scheduled from today to Sunday at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. The names of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson stand out in the field, but also Brooks Koepka, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Harris English, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Camilo Villegas. The Argentinian Fabian Gomez, 37 years old from Resistencia, defends the title). The prize pool is $6,2 million; over a million dollars for the former. The tournament is broadcast live on SKY Sport.
