Return of Tiger Woods at the Memorial, but behind closed doors

Photo: Darron Cummings Associated Press
Woods, 44, has already won five times on the Memorial (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2012).

The golfer the most famous in the world, Tiger Woods, is back from Thursday on the north american circuit of golf at the Memorial Tournament, sponsored by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, begins Thursday in Dublin, Ohio.

Contrary to what was originally planned, for the first time since the resumption of the PGA Tour, the spectators will not be admitted to the Memorial. New restrictions have been passed in Ohio, as the virus is on the rise in many u.s. States.

Woods, who won last year’s Masters in Augusta, his 15th Major, will attempt to win his 83rd title on the PGA Tour. He had equaled in October, the record of Sam Snead by winning in Japan during the Swozzle Championship.

“I look forward to playing the Memorial “, has tweeted Woods last week to its 6.5 million subscribers. “I missed it in me to fight with the other guys, so I’m looking forward to find me there.” Woods has not played a tournament resumed after the long break caused by the pandemic of sars coronavirus.

In the first two rounds on the course at Muirfield Village on Thursday and Friday, Woods will play a part of dream against the world number 1, the Northern Irish Rory McIlroy, and one of his best countrymen, Brooks Koepka, 6th world this week.

Woods, 44, has already won five times on the Memorial (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2012). He has also experienced the humiliation of a catastrophic score of 85, the worst of his career in the 3rd round of the edition 2015.

In the bookies, Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the Memorial in 2018, is the favorite at 10 to 1 against, while Tiger is given to 25 to 1 against.

Captain-a player from the USA won the Presidents Cup in December in Australia, Woods has then played two tournaments in early 2020, finishing 9th at Torrey Pines in January, and 68th in the Genesis Invitational in February.

It peaked this week at 14th in the world ranking, just behind Collin Morikawa who has just won Sunday, on this same course of Muirfield Village, the now workday Charity Open after a playoff against Justin Thomas.

Again in delicacy with his back before the start of the pandemic, Woods is back in full form in may to win a tournament, exhibition, Champions for Charity, which was also Phil Mickelson and two of the stars of american football, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

The next big tournament in the program of Tiger will be the PGA Championship scheduled at Harding Park in San Francisco (6 to 9 August).

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