Tiger Woods Is Back in the States. What Is the Realistic Timeline From Here? | GOLF LIVE Mailbag

Tiger Woods Is Back in the States. What Is the Realistic Timeline From Here? | GOLF LIVE Mailbag

When Does Tiger Woods Actually Return? Plus Your Best US Open Questions Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off. Katrina is back with seven of your best questions heading into Shinnecock, and Trey and Justin Ray get into all of them. The Biggest X-Factor at Shinnecock Wind, greens, or fescue? Justin's answer is all three together, but if forced to choose, he leans toward wind given the exposed nature of the course and a forecast that could shift quickly between the morning and afternoon waves. Trey agrees it's the full cocktail — sand-based soil means Thursday's rain won't soften anything, and once the wind picks up, the greens will only get faster. Adam Scott's Streak Adam Scott is playing his 100th consecutive major championship. To catch Jack Nicklaus's all-time record of 146 consecutive major starts, Scott would need to play every single major until the 2039 Masters. It's not happening — but reaching 100 alongside Nicklaus on that particular list is remarkable on its own. Bryson's New Driver Bryson DeChambeau is rolling out a prototype TaylorMade driver built specifically for the US Open. Trey calls it on-brand but not particularly wise — "Bryson being Bryson," for better or worse. Justin offers the counterpoint — Bryson already missed the cut in both of this year's first two majors, his first back-to-back missed major cuts since 2017, so some experimentation may be justified. He also notes that equipment tinkering happens across the entire field every week — Bryson just gets more attention for it. The Rory vs Rolapp Schedule Debate Rory McIlroy has criticized incoming PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp's two-track schedule model, warning it risks turning some events into "glorified Korn Ferry events." Trey's read is that this is a deliberate feeder system, pointing to Aaron Rai's win at a smaller event before his PGA Championship breakthrough as proof the model can still produce major champions. Justin agrees Rory isn't wrong, just blunt, and calls the tradeoff simply the cost of doing business if the tour wants more star-studded marquee events. And when both Rory and Jack Nicklaus — two men who rarely agree on tour politics — push back on the same changes, does that mean something? Trey sees it as two very different generational perspectives reaching a similar conclusion. Justin's framing is simpler — seismic change always produces strong opinions from powerful people with a real stake in the outcome. That's expected, not necessarily a red flag. Tiger's Timeline Tiger Woods is back in the US following rehab. Both Trey and Justin decline to speculate on a competitive return timeline, and for good reason — right now, the only thing that matters is Tiger's health and wellbeing as a person. The golf can wait. Farah O'Keefe's Perfect Curtis Cup Farah O'Keefe went a perfect 5-0 at the Curtis Cup — only the fourth player in the event's history, dating back to 1932, to accomplish that. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis came close to the feat herself nearly two decades ago. It caps an extraordinary year for O'Keefe, who also contended deep into the weekend at the Chevron Championship and performed well at the NCAA Championships. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bud Cauley's First PGA Tour Win Is About a Lot More Than Golf

Bud Cauley Nearly Died in 2018. He Just Won His First PGA Tour Event. Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off. In the noise of US Open week, one story almost slipped through the cracks — and Trey and Justin refused to let that happen. Bud Cauley won his first PGA Tour title at the RBC Canadian Open over the weekend. A three-time All-American at Alabama who once ran in the same circles as Justin Thomas as a top professional prospect, Cauley spent the better part of a decade unable to break through at the highest level. And then in 2018, at the Memorial Tournament, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident — a collapsed lung among a list of severe injuries, with a recovery process that was anything but smooth. CBS's broadcast mentioned that Cauley had openly discussed with family and friends what he might do next if his playing career was simply over. He stuck with it. And on Sunday, he broke through. A Year of Comeback Stories This isn't an isolated moment in golf this season. Justin draws the direct comparison to Gary Woodland's emotional comeback win earlier this year following his own serious health battle. Between Woodland and Cauley, professional golf has delivered two of the most genuinely human stories of the year — moments that go far beyond shot-making and get into something much more meaningful. A Word for the Canadian Open Beyond Cauley's personal story, credit goes to the tournament itself. The Canadian Open has built a real identity — the popular "penalty box" short par-3 hole, Nick Taylor's iconic playoff win a few years back, and a history that includes one of the rarest feats in golf. Only Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods have ever completed the unofficial triple crown of winning the US Open, the Open Championship, and the Canadian Open in the same calendar year. It remains, in Trey's words, one of the most underrated events on tour — and this year it produced a champion and a story worthy of far more attention than it's gotten. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Who Wins the US Open at Shinnecock? Our Predictions.

Six Men Have Completed the Career Grand Slam. Scotty Scheffler Is Going for Seven. Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off. Jack Nicklaus. Gary Player. Gene Sarazen. Ben Hogan. Tiger Woods. Rory McIlroy. Six men in the history of golf have won all four professional majors. Scotty Scheffler has the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship. The US Open is the only piece missing — and that's strange on its face, because everything about Scotty's game, the iron play especially, seems built for exactly this tournament. Where Scotty's Game Actually Stands Scotty still leads the PGA Tour in greens in regulation, so the idea that his irons have abandoned him isn't accurate. But what was an untouchable superpower has become merely very good. He's dropped more than 100 spots in average proximity to the hole, and less than 22 percent of his fairway approach shots are landing inside 15 feet this season — 148th out of 152 players on tour. Despite that, he still leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained total, scoring average, and birdie average, and has become a legitimately good putter — a top-20 putter on tour, which would have been almost unthinkable a few years ago. The takeaway, in Brandel Chamblee's words — he's not unbeatable anymore, but he's still the man to beat. Since 2020, Scheffler is 129 under par in majors; the next closest player isn't within 50 shots of that mark. History suggests players who complete the grand slam tend to do it quickly — three of the six did it on their first attempt, including Tiger in 2000. Rory is the outlier, needing eleven tries. Phil Mickelson, Sam Snead, and Arnold Palmer all retired without ever completing theirs. Why Shinnecock Might Not Care About a Slow Start Scotty has had a pattern this season of struggling out of the gate in majors before grinding back into contention. But Shinnecock might neutralize that concern entirely. Brooks Koepka opened with a 75 in 2018 and still won. Dustin Johnson, the best player in the world that year, blew a four-shot 36-hole lead — the first player in nearly a century to do that at a US Open — and still wasn't out of contention afterward. This course is a marathon. Pars feel like birdies. Survival matters more than a hot start. One staggering number puts it all in context — of 654 players who have started a US Open at Shinnecock, only three have ever finished under par. The Picks — Without Scotty and Rory With the top two taken off the board as the presumed favorites, Trey and Justin each name three players who could make real noise this week. Justin's picks: John Rahm, whose LIV form has been dominant and translated directly into a tied-for-second finish at the PGA Championship, with an excellent US Open record and the best bogey-avoidance mark in the field since 2009. Xander Schauffele, the all-time leader in US Open scoring average with nine consecutive top-15 finishes — a streak only Jack Nicklaus has topped since World War II. And Chris Gotterup, a two-time winner this season whose power off the tee fits a US Open landscape that increasingly rewards distance. Trey's picks: Xander Schauffele for the same reasons. Matt Fitzpatrick, who has three wins this season and already has a US Open title on an old-school, brutal course — Brookline in 2022, where he also won his US Amateur. And Cam Young, the Long Island native who broke through with his first PGA Tour win last year and was a standout for Team USA at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. And one fun, purely historical nugget — the last three US Opens at Shinnecock were each won by the player ranked ninth in the world at the time. This week's ninth-ranked player in the world is reigning US Open champion JJ Spaun. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shinnecock Has a History of Chaos at the US Open. Here Is Why This Year Should Be Different.

Shinnecock Has a History of Chaos at the US Open. Here Is Why This Year Looks Different. Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off. Shinnecock Hills hosts the US Open for the first time since 2018, and its history with this championship has not always gone smoothly. In 2004, conditions got so severe the USGA had to water a green between groupings — something that had never happened before. In 2018, Phil Mickelson putted a moving ball on the 13th green in one of the most controversial moments in major championship history, and the USGA had to soften the course before the final round, allowing Tommy Fleetwood to shoot a 63 that tied the lowest round ever played at a US Open. Justin Ray is on the ground this week, and his read is encouraging. After years of hard lessons, the setup discussions he's witnessed give him real confidence that this championship gets remembered for the golf, not for controversy. The Numbers That Define Shinnecock The statistics from 2018 explain exactly why this course is considered the purest test in the sport. Players hitting approach shots from the rough averaged 67 feet of proximity to the hole — 22 feet worse than the tour average. Scrambling from the greenside rough that year happened at just a 23 percent clip. Miss the green here, and you are very likely walking away with a bogey. And yet the fairways themselves were actually generous — a 71 percent hit rate in 2018, an astronomically high number for a US Open. The fairways have reportedly been widened even further this year. The message from the USGA seems clear — given how far players hit it now, give them room to find the fairway, but make the penalty for missing genuinely severe. Since 1980, only two US Open winners across any major have shot 75 or higher in the first round and still won — and both happened at Shinnecock. Brooks Koepka in 2018, and Raymond Floyd in 1986, when the field's first-round scoring average was a staggering 78. The Weather Factor After a wet, cold spring across the Northeast, conditions are drying out and getting quick heading into the week. Some rain is forecasted for Thursday, but given the sand-based soil that defines true links-style turf, it likely will not be enough to soften the speed out of these greens — especially if the wind picks up. The Bottom Line This is a course built specifically for this tournament. Justin's assessment, after walking the grounds for several days, is that the USGA has earned every lesson from past Shinnecock US Opens and is putting that experience to use. Expect a true, complete, and very long examination — one that reveals the best player in the field by Sunday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

US Open Preview — Everything You Need to Know Before Shinnecock

Everything You Need to Know Before the US Open at Shinnecock Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off. Trey and Justin Ray get you fully ready for the third major of the year. Trey joins from Grand Rapids, Michigan, fresh off a second-place finish in the Meijer LPGA Classic Pro-Am, and Justin is on the ground at Shinnecock Hills as the US Open returns there for the first time since 2018. Big News for the Show Before any golf talk, there's a major announcement. Justin Ray has been named the lead analytics advisor for Team USA at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, working alongside Hunter Stewart under captain Jim Furyk. This comes off the back of real results — Justin's work with the US Solheim Cup team produced the first-ever alternate shot session sweep in 2023 in Spain, and a decisive win in 2024 outside Washington DC. Justin Leonard first reached out about the idea, and four minutes later Jim Furyk called. A 90-minute presentation followed, and the decision came together quickly. The goal now — help Team USA end a 34-year drought without a Ryder Cup win on foreign soil. Shinnecock's Conditions Shinnecock has a complicated history with the US Open — a green that had to be watered between groupings in 2004, the infamous Phil Mickelson moving-ball putt in 2018, a course that had to be toned down before the final round that year so Tommy Fleetwood could shoot a record-tying 63. This time, conditions on the ground look different. A wet, cold spring has the course playing a little dry and quick heading into tournament week, and the sand-based soil means even Thursday's forecasted rain likely won't soften the brutal test that's coming. Scotty's Chase for History Six men have ever completed the career grand slam — Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. Scotty Scheffler is going for the US Open piece that would make him the seventh. Despite a statistically strong season, his proximity numbers have slipped — he's dropped over 100 spots in average approach distance, and less than 22 percent of his fairway approaches are landing inside 15 feet, ranking 148th of 152 players on tour. And yet he still leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained total, scoring average, and birdie average, and is now a legitimately good putter for the first time in his career. As Brandel Chamblee put it — he might not be unbeatable anymore, but he's still the man to beat. The Predictions With Scotty and Rory taken off the board as the obvious favorites, Trey and Justin each name three players who could make noise at Shinnecock — covering names like John Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cam Young, and Chris Gotterup, with the full reasoning behind each pick. The Bud Cauley Story A story almost lost in US Open week deserves the spotlight — Bud Cauley's first career PGA Tour win at the RBC Canadian Open, six years removed from a near-fatal car crash that left his playing future, and his life, in real doubt. Your Questions And to close it out, seven of your questions — covering the biggest X-factor at Shinnecock, Adam Scott's record major streak, Bryson's new driver experiment, the Rory-versus-Rolapp schedule debate, Tiger's return timeline, and a historic perfect performance at the Curtis Cup. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.