- Title: USA: GOLF - Tiger Woods draws the crowds to US Open practice round at Oakmont
- Date: 13th June 2007
- Summary: (S1) OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 11, 2007) (REUTERS) TIGER WOODS OFF THE TEE TIGHT SHOT OF BALL USGA FLAG GALLERY WATCHING WOODS APPROACH GREEN WOODS TEEING OFF CROWD WATCHING WOODS WALKING THROUGH GALLERY WOODS APPROACH SHOT
- Embargoed: 28th June 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA67B6R0NNLWHOWS477KP2OKOPC
- Story Text: Accompanied by a gallery of thousands, the world's number one golfer Tiger Woods loosens up for the 2007 US Open in his first practice round at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.
Despite the early time of 7am, a crowd of several thousand came to see world number one Tiger Woods of the United States tee up for his first taste of the long and notoriously difficult Oakmont course.
The US Open doesn't begin until Thursday (June 14) but Woods' presence has transformed even his practice rounds into a spectacle. Woods won the US Open in 2000 and 2002. He'll be aiming for his third title this week and thirteenth major overall.
On the other side of the course, the defending champion's practice round was a low-key event by comparison.
Australia's Geoff Ogilvy will be playing for his second US Open title having won the 2006 Open at Winged Foot although he said Oakmont will present very different challenges with its slick, sloping greens and brutally thick rough.
"Does your wrist in if you have too many shots out of it. It's thick," he said.
Ogilvy also acknowledged that his status as defending champion has added pressure to his bid for a second consecutive title, although he pointed out the pressure will be on everyone.
"There's probably less pressure because I'm the only one here who won it last year so they all need to win it more at the moment," he said.
The competition will be stiff. The best golfers in the world have assembled for the Open, the 107th. The winner will receive more than US$1.2 million from a purse of more than US$6.8 million.
Fiji's Vijay Singh will be looking for his first US Open title and American Jim Furyk, his second. Tiger Woods' great US rival Phil Mickelson is nursing a sore wrist but will still be competing for his first US Open title. He has been runner-up four times.
Sergio Garcia of Spain will also be looking for his first major title and American Zach Johnson, who's still enjoying his post-Masters champion celebrity status, is competing for his second.
Korea's KJ Choi who recently won the Memorial tournament, has not won a major. He said the course favours the accurate and the patient.
"Very, very tough in the greens. Unbelievable," he said.
The US Open championship is regarded by the players as the toughest of all the majors. For the 21st consecutive year, the tickets are sold out with roughly 35,000 tickets sold for each day of the championship, and while all players have an even chance of winning, most of those spectators will be looking for the tournament favourite, Tiger Woods. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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