The absence of Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open is profoundly felt as the prestigious tournament returns to Los Angeles after a 75-year hiatus. While many of the top contenders hail from California, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the greatest golfer in California’s history will not be competing. Woods, a native of Cypress, California, who grew up just 30 miles from the site of this year’s national golf championship, is unable to participate due to ankle surgery in April. This unfortunate turn of events marks the ninth major championship that Woods has had to skip or leave prematurely since the harrowing car accident in 2021, which nearly led to a leg amputation and severely impacted his ability to play and walk on a golf course.
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Despite his physical absence, Woods’s influence continues to reverberate throughout the golfing world. Nowhere is this more evident than at the U.S. Open, a tournament he has triumphed in on three separate occasions, often leaving an indelible mark through dramatic and unforgettable performances. Max Homa, a California native and the world’s seventh-ranked golfer, expressed the sentiment shared by many: “Tiger is so transcendent that you could argue that he’s especially missed at any event anywhere. But yeah, it does feel wrong that he’s not here. That’s fair to say if you look at the history of the game.”
Collin Morikawa, born in Los Angeles just two months before Woods’s first major championship win in 1997, emphasized the profound impact Woods has had on the sport. Morikawa himself has since won the PGA Championship and the British Open, and he wonders how many of today’s best players would even be competing if not for Woods’s influence. Reflecting on his own childhood, Morikawa admitted that Woods was all he cared about and was the primary reason he became involved in golf. While he now appreciates the achievements of other major champions, his admiration for Woods remains unparalleled.
Woods’s absence at the U.S. Open serves as a reminder of his unmatched contributions to the game. Over his illustrious career, he has notched up an impressive 15 major championship victories, second only to Jack Nicklaus’s 18 titles. Some of his most memorable moments occurred at the U.S. Open, particularly on home turf in California. In 2000 at Pebble Beach Golf Links, he clinched a record-setting victory with an astounding 15-stroke margin. Eight years later at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, he battled through injury to secure a playoff victory after enduring a grueling 19-hole duel against Rocco Mediate.
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However, the past decade has witnessed a decline in Woods’s physical well-being. Now 47 years old, he last competed in the U.S. Open in 2020, where he missed the cut. In the previous nine editions of the tournament, he participated only five times, missing the cut twice and achieving a best result of a tie for 21st place. Since his inspiring victory at the 2019 Masters, Woods has completed all four rounds at a major championship on only four occasions. This reality reinforces his poignant comment prior to this year’s Masters when he questioned how many more opportunities he had left to compete at such events.
Woods’s absence from this year’s U.S. Open serves as a stark reminder that he is relinquishing the spotlight that he has commanded for over a quarter of a century. Nevertheless, those following in his formidable footsteps are committed to keeping his legacy alive. Morikawa aptly summed it up by stating, “His presence in the game of golf is always known because he’s impacted this game in ways that some of us could only dream of. For him, it’s just about getting healthy at this point. Who knows when we’re going to see him or not? I don’t think any of us take that for granted anymore.”
As golfers continue to practice against the backdrop of the Los Angeles skyline, Woods’s fellow Californian Max Homa reflected on the pride they feel in having Woods as one of their own. He found it particularly remarkable that the greatest golfer of all time honed his skills on an ordinary municipal golf course, just like many California golfers. Homa summed it up simply: “I don’t know if it’s a California thing, but I do think that’s just cool.”
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