From the bleachers: Tiger Woods loses battle in Pinehurst’s ‘war of attrition’ at the US Open

Tiger Woods falls short at the 2024 US Open

My dehydrated ramblings on hole 11 at the US Open in the hope of seeing a vintage Tiger Woods.

When Tiger Woods addressed the media on Tuesday he spoke of Pinehurst being a ‘war of attrition’ this week, referring to the patience and discipline required to stick to the plan, described by many of his colleagues as the ‘boring golf’ strategy.

Little did I know two days later that I would be testing my resilience when I sat in 92 degrees of unsheltered Carolinian heat for around an hour and a half waiting for the ‘greatest to have ever done it’ to materialize from around the dogleg on the par four 11^th hole on Pinehurst No.2.

Don’t rush for the violin. My water had also started to boil. Now you may.

During these 90-odd salt-diminishing minutes I watched group after group endeavour to find a safe shelf to land their approach on Pinehurst’s infamous turtleback greens.

The shallow 11^th green is particularly nasty with its rumpled wings on either side and a typical Pinehurst collection area off the back just in front of where I was sitting.

As the young lad sat with his father astutely said after seeing Sam Burns end up with a tricky up and down from that very spot: “Aim for pins, you get punished with chips.”

Luckily for Sam Burns, he is one of the best with a flatstick in hand. And despite his pitch clinging on by a single revolution, he holed out a super impressive 10-foot par putt.

So many of those who did go off script though and found themselves in the same predicament, inevitably trundled off with a bogey. Sat watching on 11 was the perfect illustration of Pinehurst being Pinehurst.

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Most putted, some pitched, a few with the bump and run, and just one – former champion Lucas Glover – reached for the hybrid in what was the best effort of the lot. Canny old fox.

There was selfish a part of me that hoped Tiger may just end up on the same patch of turf so I could get an up close and personal look at the short-game genius in action. Either that or stiffing it to within 2 feet would do me.

As the groups filtered past, my mouth became dryer, my forehead became wetter. ‘God those Bud Lights look good right now’. Words I never expected to say.

I think I was beginning to hallucinate. My earpiece was still saying he was putting out on eight. How can that be? He was on seven half an hour ago and I’ve seen at least three groups come and go.

I know your mind can play tricks on you in the desert, and as I continued to gaze down the fairway, flanked by Pinehurst’s iconic wiregrass-infested native areas, I swear I could see the border of spectators starting to swell.

Yes, now I can see. They’re crawling out of the Pines, like ants to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He must be close.

It’s a stark reminder of why Tiger is undoubtedly the most influential person in golf, by a mile. I was a little taken aback earlier in the week at the universal love for Rory too. Despite so many incredible names in action all day, Tiger and Rory are the names people will do anything to get a glimpse of.

Tiger has withdrawn from two of his last seven majors, missed the cut three times now, and finished 47th and 60th at the Masters. It’s not about the player he is today though. After all, Tiger transcends the sport, and to see him wield the axe for one of the last times before he calls it…well, I could have pushed another 10 minutes.

Wait a minute, what’s that coming over the hill, is it a Monster (bag)?

Yes, he’s in the fairway with Matt Fitzpatrick. Will Zalatoris is having a lovely time in the wire grass. It’s Tiger to play first.

The ball is airborne. I can’t see it. Forgot my sunglasses.

Thud. 15 feet short, dead in line with the pin, stopped quickly, 10 feet for birdie. I’d only seen a couple better all day.

Walking onto the green with that trademark Tiger swagger, a few things were going through my mind. If you were going to build a golfer, that’s the physique. But if you’re going to dress them, maybe use a more breathable fabric.

Says me, sat sweating like a pig at a hog roast. Thank god I’m in TravisMathew.

Another observation, that may just be me, but are players not reading lines as intensely at Pinehurst?

I’ve seen very little caddie interaction on the greens. The odd bit of Aimpoint, but not as much break reading as usual. Perhaps because it’s the pace that is so crucial to get right here. Boring golf, remember?

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Last to putt, Tiger does take a good look at this one. If it drops, he’s back to -4 and in with a good chance of making the weekend.

It’s on its way, but not to be. Tap in par for the three-time winner.

I wouldn’t exactly describe his energy as bouncy. It did look like the glucose stores were draining a bit, and bogeys on 16 and 17 ultimately ended the resistance.

In my short time watching Tiger this week there is little doubt in my mind that the game is still there. Over 18 holes, perhaps 36, maybe a LIV-54 on the right course? I think he’ll be perfect for TGL Golf!

But being competitive over four days in major seems a stretch on the evidence, although I’m sure we would all love to be proved wrong.

The battle is over for Tiger at the US Open, but his personal ‘war of attrition’ continues as he bids to prove he can compete for titles again.

On to Troon.

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About the author

Ross Tugwood

Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.