With the Open Championship just five days away, in an interview with Sun Day Red, Tiger Woods named the biggest enemy competitors like Rory McIlroy will face at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Spoiler warning: it’s not another player.  

“Anytime you go back to the Open Championship, it’s like you’re going back into history and to where golf not only started, but it’s how it started. It started by being played on the ground, using the ground as a friend, and the air was your enemy. You just didn’t hit the ball in the air.

“Pretty much almost every hole at a links golf course is usually open in the front to an extent. It’s fun to be able to create shots in the air that then respond on the ground. And then you play it from there, which is fantastic.”

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

Before 2026 Scottish Open, in Which Tournament Scheffler Last Missed the Cut?

2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship2023 Memorial Tournament2021 Players Championship2024 Genesis Scottish Open

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

Wind has always been a major obstacle on links golf courses because of their wide-open layouts and lack of trees or shelter. This allows strong, swirling sea breezes to blow unobstructed across the firm, fast-running turf. As a result, controlling the golf ball becomes extremely difficult.

Woods himself has plenty of experience with harsh winds. When he played at the Open at Muirfield Golf Links in 2002, he faced brutal winds, sideways rain, and cold, and shot 81 in the third round, dropping from four under to six over.

Even when Woods played at the Old Course in St Andrews, Fife, in 2015, strong winds caused major disruption, with gusts even moving the ball around. Paired with Hideki Matsuyama, Woods had a chip shot blown off line on the 13th green and missed the cut because of tough weather.

A more recent example would be the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Although it’s not a true links course, Friday’s conditions showcased perfectly how wind can become a problem. While Rory McIlroy could handle the conditions, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, despite his skill and experience, struggled.

Although Scheffler started with three birdies, he struggled with five bogeys and one double bogey, resulting in a missed cut. As the defending champion, Scheffler returns to Royal Birkdale looking to defend his title. However, as Tiger Woods said, he will have to come prepared for the windy conditions if he doesn’t want to repeat what happened at The Renaissance Club.

McIlroy, who won the tournament back in 2014, will also play at the event. All he has to do is maintain the form he showed on Friday to tackle the harsh winds.