Getty Tiger Woods has a legitimate chance at winning a major.
Tiger Woods is back.
At least that’s the headline everyone’s going with on Saturday, as Woods fired a 66 to jump into contention at The Open. Woods trails leader Jordan Spieth by just four shots, climbing up from 23rd to sit in sixth place heading into Sunday.
With another quality round under his belt, Woods is among the favorites to win the tournament on Sunday. Woods is priced at 14-1 to win heading into Sunday, tied for the fourth-best odds alongside Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari.
Saturday’s 66 was Woods best performance at a major since 2011, when he also posted a 66 at The Masters. Woods finished with just one bogey and six birdies, highlights by a 40-footer on the 9th.
Tiger Woods has not won a major since 2008 at Torrey Pines. He’s been stuck at 14 career major wins for 10 years.
Of course, there are people in front of Woods on the leaderboard. One of those people is Jordan Spieth, the defending Open champion that was in high school the last time Woods shot a 66. Spieth posted a six-under 65 on Saturday to finish nine under par, and looked as good as he has all year.
But as Tiger himself recounted after his round on Saturday, it just feels good to be back.
I’m right there. I’ve got a chance at this, which is great,” Tiger said in his post-round press conference.
“It certainly is possible. I’ve shown that I’ve been there close enough with a chance to win this year. Given what happened last few years, I didn’t know if that would ever happen again, but here I am with a chance coming Sunday in a major championship. It’s going to be fun.”
Based on finishes, Tiger will be in the third-to-last group on Sunday. The red sweater will be out, the crowd will be loud, and the golfers in front should be prepared for the pressure.