Don’t laugh… here are five reasons Tiger Woods can win the 2015 Open

We know, we know. In the last few years Tiger Woods has gone from being the man to beat in Majors to the man most likely to shoot 85 while picking up more injuries than John McClane along the way.

But…

But…

Something is changing.

In recent weeks there have been definite, unignorable, ominous-for-the-rest-of-the-field signs that the “old Tiger” could be on his way back. There was the strong showing at this month’s Greenbrier Classic that included Tiger’s first bogey-free round in two years .There’s the fact that he led the field in proximity to the hole for the first time since, well, since anyone can remember. There are murmurings that he’s swinging it better, hitting it sweeter, and controlling the ball more tightly than he has since he was picking up Majors like an army chinook. All of this has seen Woods’ Open 2015 odds plummet from around 80/1 to around 16/1, making him one of the favourites to win. That might be taking things a bit too far, but here are five reasons he could bag a fourth Claret Jug this Sunday…

1. He’s remembered how to hit a ball

Woods may have only finished tied-32nd at the Greenbrier, but three rounds in the 60s is a promising sign. He striped it from tee to green all week, and if his putter had been a little warmer, would have been right in the mix.

“I hit the ball great at Greenbrier,” he says. “It was the first time I had led proximity to the hole with my iron play in I don’t know how many years. It’s been a while. And as bad as I putted that week, I was only four shots out of a playoff.”

2. He’s still hungry

“I’m still young,” says Woods. “I’m not 40 yet. I know some of you guys think I’m buried and done, but I’m still right here in front of you. I love playing. I love competing, and I love playing these events.” 

3. He’s won two of the last three Opens hosted at St Andrews

It sounds obvious, and you could argue that winding the clock back to 2000 is clutching at straws, but the fact of the matter is that only two people have won Majors at St Andrews since the turn of the millenium: Tiger twice and Louis Oosthuizen in 2010. He’s always felt at home on the Old Course, and it’s one of the widest driving courses in the world – the area that Woods has struggled with most in recent years. “Sometimes [at St Andrews] you’ve got to play into adjacent fairways,” says Woods. “That’s not something you try and do on purpose back in the States. I’ve hit shots in adjacent fairways, but never on purpose.”

4. He’s on the right side of the draw

Tiger tees off at 9.55am on Thursday and 2:56pm on Friday. Thursday morning is forecast to be extremely still, with the wind picking up for those teeing off later. Anyone who has played the Old Course – professional or otherwise – will tell you that the wind can easily make five shots difference. It looks as though Woods has had the luck of the draw – he just needs to make the most of it.

5. He’s Tiger Woods

This is a man who’s won 14 Majors. Who completely changed the game. He broke more records than a bulldozer performing a three-point-turn in the middle of HMV. Yes, he’s struggled for the last few years, but the greats never truly lose it. If Tiger can get back to even 90 per cent of the form he showed in his heydey, he’ll be almost impossible to beat.

 Do you think Tiger can win the 2015 Open? Let us know in the comments below!