The PGA Tour is headed to TPC Harding Park this week for its first major tournament since the resumption of the season. The 2020 PGA Championship gets underway Thursday after being postponed in May.
Tiger Woods will be back in action this week, making his second PGA Tour appearance since the restart. Three weeks ago he tied for 40th at the Memorial Tournament. He just barely made the cut, and stumbled on Sunday to finish +6 after scoring 71-76-71-76 for the week.
This marks his first major appearance since missing the cut at the 2019 British Open. In 2019, he won the Masters, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and tied for 21st at the U.S. Open.
Woods was expected to miss the Masters this past April, but the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a variety of postponements. The Masters was moved to November, the U.S. Open was pushed from June to September, the 2020 British Open was canceled, and the PGA Championship was moved from May to this weekend.
The PGA Tour remains in Dublin, Ohio this week at Muirfield Golf Club for the biggest tournament since the season restarted. A loaded field will play in the Memorial Tournament, headlined by Tiger Woods’ return to the pro tour.
Woods has been all over the place when it comes to the PGA Championship. Here are his results the last six appearances dating back to 2012.
2019: Missed cut — -0.1 total strokes gained
2018: 2nd — 13.8 total strokes gained
2015: Missed cut — -1 total strokes gained
2014: Missed cut — -3.4 total strokes gained
2013: T-40th — 3.4 total strokes gained
2012: T-11th — 9.8 total strokes gained
The PGA Championship takes place at a different course each year, so each year is not really an apples-to-apples-comparison. It’s interesting to see how Woods does in a given major, but he’s at a point in his career where he can’t just dominate any course he plays. If you’re looking for an edge on betting him, you want to consider specific course performance.
We have some very positive information at TPC Harding Park, but it’s also a small sample size. Woods has two professional appearances at the course, and two impressive performances. In 2005, he shot 10-under at the WGC-American Express Championship and beat John Daly on the second hole of a playoff. In 2009, the Presidents Cup took place at Harding Park, and Woods dominated, winning all five of his matches.
It’s been 11 years since Woods played a significant event at the course, and plenty has changed. His back is a continual problem, tightening up as he began his preparations at Muirfield Golf Club for the Memorial Tournament. He completed the tournament, but it was a slog. Given his recent history, odds seem better he withdraws or misses the cut than wins or even finishes in the top ten.