The greens of Pinehurst No. 2 have been declared to be one of the best of Donald Ross and the toughest too. With so many speculations springing up to scrutinize its difficulty, the 15-time major winner, Tiger Woods, is relating to the golf community how difficult it truly is with his pacing in the first round of the 124th edition of the US Open. His approach to the first few holes and the time frame he has taken to complete them are shocking.
The X handle of Flushing It has just dropped a post about how it took Woods an absolute 44 minutes to complete his 2nd hole since the time he teed off for the first round. With that, they also explored the potential of a larger concern at Pinehurst altogether. They stated, “Tiger Woods teed off 44 minutes ago and his group has just completed only their 2nd hole of the day. Slow play could be a big issue at Pinehurst.”
With an elevated level of difficulty on the greens of Pinehurst, many are suspecting a low-scoring major. With its turtleback and more links-style setup, Pinehurst possesses a lot more difficulty for smooth play. The slow pacing of the game from early on is only a sign of how distinguishingly strenuous the journey is going to be moving forward.
On the very first hole, two closely mown mounds were witnessed just below the ledge. The tricky trajectory of the shot certainly calls for ample time for better judgment on the golfer’s part. And Tiger Woods, along with his team, has understood what to prioritize at the US Open this year, even if time is at stake for scoring a shot.
Bob Harig pointed out the shocking news of how Woods scored 1-under par in the first two holes, but it took 42 minutes. In the discussion of the post, he again informed Woods that he had been waiting at the 15th tee for a while. While another fan observed that he had waited well over 5 minutes for the second shot of the 10th hole along with two other golfers. The slow play controversy came into being at the 2023 Masters at the hands of Patrick Cantlay.
When the golf community was hit with the news, they were extremely shocked at the performance so far on the greens of Pinehurst No. 2 Golf Course.
The golf community is stunned by Tiger Woods’s pace
One of the fans wrote, “Brutal pacing. It’s a US Open and I was prepared for it but damn it’s slow. Imagine if it was windy.” He expressed his expectations that the US Open would prepare him for a difficult result; however, the pacing thus portrayed so early on in the tournament is still unthinkable and way slower. He also questioned how much worse could have been the outcome if it had been windy after all at Pinehurst.
Another fan wrote, “Think the pace could benefit Tiger’s leg?” Tiger Woods has been going through insufferable leg issues for more than a decade now. Right before the Masters, many questioned how his ankle’s zero mobility was a matter of concern. Shockingly, he walked all four days at Augusta. At the PGA Championship too, he did not limp the two days he played. The fan speculated that a slow pace might give the golfer an upper hand and conclude with a different result than was seen during the Masters (finished last), and the PGA Championship (missed cut).
Yet another fan was shocked and commented, “42 to play 2 holes?!” It is almost unbelievable for the golf community to believe that it took so long for someone as experienced as Woods to play two holes. Having won 15 major titles, and 82 Tour events, Woods has had his share of playing on difficult courses.
Someone else wrote, “Tougher the course, slower the play. Golf is faster when making Birdies and not always fighting off Bogeys or worse!!” They recognized that the difficulty level golfers have been met with at Pinehurst has already produced several triples and doubles in just a short time. Making birdies is indeed faster on the course, and eagles too!
One other fan wrote, “Gezzus. That’s embarrassing. Maybe it’s time for a shotgun start.” They were extremely disappointed with the play and the pace, so much so that they suggested a different approach that should have been undertaken. The shotgun start lets all the golfers tee up at the same time but from different holes just like in LIV Golf.
