Three-time US Open Winner Tiger Woods is synonymous with this great Major Championship, but after a couple of disheartening appearances in Majors so far this year, you could be forgiven for assuming he might not be able to challenge for a fourth.
Tiger has overcome the odds before, most famously when winning the 2019 Masters Tournament, and while it's hard to argue that his physical fitness and performances on the course haven't deteriorated further since then, I think I have found the nugget which re-ignites the flames of hope.
Pinehurst No.2 could be the perfect venue for Woods to mount another challenge, and that's thanks to one key difference between the US Open venue and the two previous Major tracks this season...
The Key Difference At Pinehurst No.2 That Could Improve Tiger's Chances
After multiple injuries, surgeries and time away from the game, something Tiger Woods appears to struggle with more than most other players is walking the golf course over four rounds.
The strain placed on his body when trying to navigate Major championship tracks, most of which are long and undulating, could be the crucial factor that's having a negative effect on his performance with a club in hand.
Well, that could all be about to change this week - as Pinehurst No.2 is a much flatter, perhaps easier walk... a leveller, if you will!
Based on data from ProVizualiser, Pinehurst No.2 typically measures at 7,571 yards making it the shortest of the Major host venues so far this season. That in itself is a bonus, but as the difference between the lowest and highest elevation is just 21m, this provides a source of encouragement to Tiger fans as it makes it a relatively flat track.
Augusta National Golf Club's topography boasts a much more challenging walk, with an elevation difference of 55m, more than double that of Pinehurst No.2. The total ascent is also the lowest of the three at this week's course, measuring just 71m in comparison to 118m at Valhalla and 135m at Augusta National.
The difference in total straight line walking distance is 709 yards less at Pinehurst No.2, when compared to Valhalla which ranks as the longest. That difference is not dissimilar to the total yardage of the four par-3 holes combined at the 2024 PGA Championship venue, meaning playing Pinehurst No.2 should feel like a walk in the park in comparison.
What we have seen so far from Tiger Woods this season is a pretty clear round-by-round decline, with exception to the second round at The Masters, highlighting that fatigue and discomfort could be playing a part in his inability to stick around in these big events.
Removing some of the physical strain should free up his ability to play those trademark Tiger-shots we are so used to seeing, with the correlating stats for success suggesting this one might play into his hands.
Woods was well above the field average in fairways hit and sand saves during the first round at The Masters earlier this year, and he putted above the field average for the duration of the tournament.
He also gained half a stroke on approach to the green in round one at the PGA Championship, and marginally gained on the field with the putter once again.
On a course where it pays to hit fairways, find greens and putt with the level of creativity we know that Tiger possesses, he certainly has all the tools to build a strong performance and perhaps contend at the US Open this week.
