The Open Championship: Tiger Woods reminds me he's chasing third Old Course win - Rory McIlroy
- Published
Jack Nicklaus (second right) joined (l-r) Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Georgia Hall and Lee Trevino on the final hole
The 150th Open |
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Venue: St Andrews, Scotland Dates: 14-17 July |
Coverage: BBC TV, radio and online, on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport mobile app. Full coverage details. |
Rory McIlroy says it is "great" Tiger Woods is at the 150th Open Championship even if the American has been joking about his St Andrews superiority.
Woods has won two of his three Open titles at the Old Course and missed last month's US Open in an effort to be fit to play at the home of golf.
"He's going for a third Claret Jug at St Andrews and he keeps reminding me of that," laughed McIlroy.
"But a healthy Tiger Woods means a healthy golf. He brings more interest."
Talking to BBC Northern Ireland, the 2014 Open champion added: "There was a chance where we might never have seen him again so the fact he is here says a lot about him, what the game of golf means to him, and what competing in an Open means to him.
"He's a legend not just in golf but in all of sport and even though we're not going to see him as much as we used to it's great to have him around."
McIlroy played with Woods in Monday's 'Celebration of Champions' exhibition event. The pair were joined by two-time Open winner Lee Trevino and 2018 Women's Open champion Georgia Hall for the four-hole contest, which took in the first, second, 17th and 18th holes and was watched by thousands of fans.
"If you told a 10-year-old Rory I would be doing this I wouldn't have believed you," the 33-year-old four-time major winner said.
"To get my name on the Claret Jug, to be as close as I am to my hero growing up (Woods) and to be doing this, the Champions Dinner in the R&A clubhouse, it's sort of pinch yourself moments.
"It's really, really cool and I am so privileged and humbled to be part of it all."
McIlroy, who missed defending his title in 2015 at St Andrews after injuring his ankle while playing football, added: "I was a silly boy but I have not done anything to jeopardise playing in this championship. I'm looking forward to teeing off on Thursday."
Woods suffered career-threatening injuries when he rolled his car at more than 80mph in February 2021. He only returned to competitive action at this year's Masters, finishing 47th, but then pulled out of the US PGA Championship after three rounds in May.
The 15-time major winner then opted to miss June's US Open because he wanted to give himself the best chance to be fit to play at his favourite course in the world.
After the exhibition event, the 46-year-old said: "I'm feeling good.
"Game day is Thursday so I just have to pace myself until then and get after it and hopefully we can put ourselves in contention on the back nine come Sunday."
The quartet of Sir Nick Faldo, John Daly, Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson, winners of four of the past six Opens held at St Andrews in 1990, 1995, 2010 and 2015 respectively - Woods won in 2000 and 2005 - were victorious in the event.
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