Golf fans cannot wait for this weekend’s U.S. Open. It marks the return of Tiger Woods, who took time off to mourn the passing of his father, Earl Woods.
Hollywood script writers want to know: Could Tiger win the U.S. Open on Father’s Day?
The 106th U.S. Open Championship will be played at famed Winged Foot Golf Club’s West Course in Mamaroneck, N.Y., about 20 miles north of midtown Manhattan. It’s close enough that Washington, D.C. golf fans are expected to be there in force.
Tiger is looking for his third U.S. Open title and his 11th major championship overall. His archrival, Phil Mickelson, seeks his third consecutive major championship, having won the 2006 Masters and 2005 PGA Championship.
NBC 4 will have the weekend coverage led by golf host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, who has made 22 U.S. Open appearances and won in 1973. It has long been referred to as the the “Miracle at Oakmont” after Miller shot a final round 63.
I spoke to Miller via conference call about the Open and its major storylines.
Jim Williams: What makes the U.S. Open such a special tournament?
Johnny Miller: It is our U.S Championship and there are USGA players who qualify and play right there on the same course as the best in the world. But for me it is about the Sunday comebacks like Ben Hogan’s miraculous comeback from near death in winning the 1950 Open at Merion, or 1960 at Cherry Hills in Denver, when Arnold Palmer came from seven strokes back in the final round and secured victory in an Open that had a half-dozen potential winners, including a young Jack Nicklaus and an aging Ben Hogan. And of course, the 1999 Open with Payne Stewart.
JW: What about Tiger winning?
JM: I think that a good first round is key to Tiger winning. He needs to have a comfortable first day where he is in the running. I also think the same thing could be said for Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and Retief Goosen. Any one of the top players who have a bad opening day will have a tough time winning the tournament.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
