DUBLIN, Ohio – Before Tuesday Tiger Woods had never even been to Merion, the site of next month’s U.S. Open, and what he saw surprised him.
Although Merion will play under 7,000 yards for the national championship, a heavy wind out of the north and wet fairways presented a much different test then what Woods had expected.
“I didn’t think it will play quite as long as we played it yesterday,” Woods said.
Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava did a walkthrough of the layout with one of the club’s assistant pros on Monday, and despite the wet and cold conditions the world No. 1 said the scouting trip was worth the effort.
“It was more to see what I need to visualize and the sightlines and where I will need to land the ball,” Woods said at the Memorial. “If it dries out and plays firm and fast it will be very similar to what we play in the sand belt (of Australia).”
Woods said he doesn’t plan to make another scouting trip to Merion before the Open.
