The property includes a glamorous pool, tennis court and amazing views of Sherwood Country Club below.
As play heats up at the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club just outside Los Angeles, a Hall of Fame hockey star with plenty of ties to golf is looking to skip out of the neighborhood — for a second time.
Wayne Gretzky, father-in-law to World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, has put his mansion in Thousand Oaks back on the market for nearly $10 million more than he bought it for just three years ago.
Gretzky, the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the National Hockey League, built the home with his actress/model wife Janet Jones back in 2002 and then sold the property to former Major League Baseball star Lenny Dykstra for $18.5 million in 2007.
Dykstra fell into debt and the home was auctioned off, it changed hands twice before Gretzky again purchased the property — this time for $13.5 million.
Wayne Gretzky’s home overlooking Sherwood Country Club is on the market.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “the grounds include an elegant Colonial-style home designed by Richard Landry, two guesthouses, a swimming pool, tennis court and entertainment area surrounded by rolling lawns and manicured gardens. … A motor court approaches the main residence, winding its way toward a porte-cochere entry lined with columns. Inside, shades of black and white fill formal spaces such as a chandelier-topped living room, marble kitchen, movie theater, billiards room and gym.”
The 13,000-square foot home comes with a hefty mortgage payment, and a hefty tax bill. Gretzky paid $144,016 in taxes on the estate in 2019.
A look inside Wayne Gretzky’s home on Sherwood Country Club.
Jordan Spieth’s father, Shawn, is on the bag at the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Jordan Spieth had a familiar face carrying his bag in Thursday’s first round of the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
Shawn Spieth, his father.
The elder Spieth was the third caddie Spieth has had on his bag in less than a week. Last week, Spieth’s longtime caddie, Michael Greller, left the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas before the third round after getting word his mother, Jane, passed away earlier that morning.
Spieth turned to Preston Valder, an associate of Patrick Cantlay’s, to carry the bag the rest of the tournament. This week, he turned to his father, who previously caddied for his son in the 2019 World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship after Greller’s father, John, passed away that week.
“To lose both your parents in a year and a half, like I told (Greller), I have no way of relating to it, but I can only imagine,” Spieth said. “I was with him Saturday morning after he found out the news and I never have really seen him like that.
“We’ve been through a lot of stuff together.
“I think it’s a really tough situation for him right now, and as much time as he needs (he gets). It’s like he was wanting to kind of come back. I’m like, ‘Dude, it’s your bag whenever you want it, just do what you need to do for the more important things in life right now.’”
Greller, a former grade-school math teacher, has teamed with Spieth for three major championships and 14 professional wins around the world.
Shawn Spieth, left, caddies for his son Jordan Spieth, center, during the first round of the Zozo Championship golf tournament Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Shawn Spieth was on the bag when his son tied for 54th in Mexico. And Spieth shot 2-under-par 70 Thursday to stand six shots back of leader Sebastian Munoz.
“So we get a special time with me and my dad this week,” Spieth said. “Then we’ll gear up for Augusta and get ready to have Mikey back.”
Spieth was all smiles after the round talking about having his father on the bag. And he even laughed at one moment when his father was out of bounds, so to speak, in the player-caddie relationship.
“He did the old ‘No, no,’ on our fourth hole, on 13,” Spieth said. “I’m stepping into the ball and he goes, ‘Just don’t overdo it.’ I step back, step back in. I’m like, ‘Dad, there’s only really like one or two things you just can’t do and that’s just don’t say not to hit it somewhere while I’m stepping into the shot.
“He goes, ‘Well, you know, you did it on No. 11, so I didn’t want you to do it on 13.’ But yeah, it was funny. I know he’s enjoying it and it’s a tough walk. The other time he caddied for me was Mexico City, which was at 8,000 feet, so I’m not exactly picking the easiest ones for him.”
It’s on to Day 2 at Sherwood Country Club for the second round of the 2020 Zozo Championship. Check out tee times and TV info here.
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Tiger Woods is making his first appearance on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month and the rust showed during his opening-round 76 at the Zozo Championship. It’s his worst score ever at Sherwood Country Club.
Woods walked off the course in 75th place out of 77 golfers. The tournament started with 78 but Gary Woodland played just seven holes before withdrawing with a back injury.
Sebastian Munoz had two eagles in his round, which was a huge part of his first-round 8-under 64. He holed out from 168 yards on the par-4 7th hole, then holed out from 50 yards on the par-5 16th hole.
From tee times to TV info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round on Friday.
Tee times
Times listed are ET.
1st tee
Tee time
Players
12:50 p.m.
Abraham Ancer, Tom Hoge, Rikuya Hoshino
1:01 p.m.
Cameron Champ, Dylan Frittelli, Bubba Watson
1:12 p.m.
Nick Taylor, Kevin Na, Adam Long
1:23 p.m.
Jim Herman, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood
1:34 p.m.
Byeong Hun An, Mark Hubbard, Shaun Norris
1:45 p.m.
Kevin Streelman, Joel Dahmen, Gunn Charoenkul
1:56 p.m.
Brian Harman, Chan Kim, Naoki Sekito
2:07 p.m.
Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Kuchar
2:18 p.m.
Cameron Smith, Brendon Todd, Joaquin Niemann
2:29 p.m.
Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth, Shugo Imahira
2:40 p.m.
Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama
2:51 p.m.
Tiger Woods, Matthew Wolff, Xander Schauffele
3:02 p.m.
Alex Noren, Scottie Scheffler, Ryo Ishikawa
10th tee
Tee time
Players
12:50 p.m.
Russell Henley, Harris English, Jazz Janewattananond
1:01 p.m.
Michael Thompson, Ryan Palmer, Matthew Fitzpatrick
1:12 p.m.
Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Satoshi Kodaira
1:23 p.m.
Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed
1:34 p.m.
Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson
1:45 p.m.
Adam Hadwin, Talor Gooch, Mikumu Horikawa
1:56 p.m.
Mackenzie Hughes, Carlos Ortiz, Takumi Kanaya
2:07 p.m.
Jason Kokrak, Sungjae Im, Sebastian Munoz
2:18 p.m.
Tyler Duncan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau
2:29 p.m.
Marc Leishman, Lanto Griffin, Rickie Fowler
2:40 p.m.
Richy Werenski, Paul Casey, Billy Horschel
2:51 p.m.
Andrew Landry, Brendan Steele
3:02 p.m.
Danny Lee, Harry Higgs, Brad Kennedy
TV, streaming information
Times listed are ET.
Friday, Oct. 23
TV
PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 12:45-5 p.m. Featured groups:
Collin Morikawa, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas (1:23 p.m.)
Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson (1:34 p.m.)
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But that doesn’t mean he’s not thinking about the Masters.
How could he not be thinking about the Masters? For one thing, he’s a green jacket away from completing the career Grand Slam. For another, 11 of the 16 questions he took in Wednesday’s zoom press conference ahead of the start of the Zozo Championship at Sherwood dealt with the Masters.
“You guys are going to write about Augusta because that’s what people want to hear about, right? You’re catering to what people want to read,” McIlroy said.
The world No. 5 wasn’t annoyed at all the Masters questions. He perked up when talking about trips he’s taken there with his father when the Masters wasn’t being played, especially his journeys down into the club’s famous wine cellar. He talked about little changes here and there to the course all the players see from year to year. About staying in one of the famous white cabins.
But all of his attention when he puts the peg into the ground for the first time in the first round will be on the task at hand.
“I’m 100 percent focused this week on the Zozo Championship at Sherwood and there’s no part of my mind that will be on Augusta, Georgia, when I’m out there playing those 72 holes this week,” McIlroy said. “It’s four rounds, it’s an opportunity to win a PGA Tour event. It’s a great opportunity to try to get a win and get into contention and I think that would be a big step. I haven’t really been in contention much since coming back from the lockdown. If I could get into contention this week and have a chance to win, I think that would be great for just overall confidence in play and all that.”
McIlroy was the hottest player on the planet before the golf world shut down in March for 13 weeks due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In 11 starts leading into the shutdown, McIlroy had two wins and eight other top-10s and was the No. 1 player in the official world rankings.
But since the PGA Tour returned in June, he has just two top-10s in 11 starts. Last week, he tied for 21st in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been working quite a bit on some technical stuff in my swing the last few weeks, trying to get my right arm working a little better in the backswing, get it supporting the club a little more, keeping the club a little more out in front of me,” he said. “I made some decent progress last week apart from the last five holes on Sunday and that’s really been it.
“I’ve been tinkering or messing around with trying to get a little more speed. I used it a little bit last week and I led in driving distance and I was No. 1 in strokes gained off the tee. If anything, my iron play wasn’t that good, so just trying to tidy that up. But other aspects of my game, I thought I putted pretty well, short game was decent.”
Other than working on hitting “high bombs, as Phil (Mickelson) would say,” McIlroy said, he isn’t utilizing his practice time on honing in shots he’d like to have for the Masters. And Mickelson told McIlroy a few years back that if your short game is sharp at Augusta National, you can be more aggressive with approach shots, so McIlroy will concentrate on that leading up to the Masters.
But this week is all about the Zozo.
“I’ve always enjoyed Sherwood,” said McIlroy, who has played here since 2010, when he finished fourth in what is now known as the Hero World Challenge. “It’s a great golf course, it’s a great venue for a golf tournament. Whenever this tournament was announced that it would be coming here instead of going back to Japan, I was excited. I think a lot of the guys were looking forward to playing it.
“It’s been nice to get out on the golf course the last few days and refresh my memory a little bit of the place. It hasn’t really changed much. The greens are a little different, a little bigger, maybe a little less severe than they were in the past, but yeah, it’s great to be here. Nice that we’re able to play this week.”
Wolff will be watching Woods, attempting to glean something of value from one of the sport’s great champions.
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It’s been more than a few years since Matthew Wolff was a 14-year-old Westlake High sophomore in the gallery at Sherwood Country Club, rooting for Tiger Woods to prevail in a playoff at the Hero World Challenge.
The 21-year-old PGA Tour phenom will play alongside the 15-time major champion for the first time this week, fittingly at a course they both know so well.
Wolff and Woods will be joined by Xander Schauffele in a threesome Thursday and Friday during the first two rounds of the $8 million Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.
“I think it’s amazing that they’re having a PGA Tour event here again,” said Wolff on Wednesday, during a video call with media covering the event in Thousand Oaks.
“I’m just excited to not only play a course that I feel super comfortable on, but this is my first time playing with Tiger as well, so that’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m sure he knows the course very well.”
Woods, who won the tournament last year in Japan, hosted his World Challenge event at Sherwood from 2000 to 2013.
Wolff was born in Simi Valley and grew up in nearby Agoura Hills.
He first played Sherwood as a budding teenage golfer and has since played the course “hundreds and hundreds of times,” finding time for rounds on visits home from college at Oklahoma State or since he turned pro last year.
“Every single time I come back and visit family here,” Wolff said.
The tournament was officially shifted from Japan last month due to COVID-19 concerns, as part of a reconfigured West Coast swing ahead of the rescheduled Masters.
Which is why the tournament will be held this week without fans, keeping local golf fans from what would have been a memorable attraction.
“I think playing with him,” Wolff said of Woods, “we would have drawn a really large crowd.”
Even without a gallery, Wolff is expecting to feel the love, at least from friends and family with country club connections.
“I know multiple, multiple people that live on the course here and have houses here, so I’m sure my family and my friends will probably be hopping house to house and try to catch me on certain holes and stuff,” Wolff said. “Even though there’s not going to be fans allowed, I’m sure they’ll try to find a way to come and watch me as much as they can.”
Matthew Wolff reacts on the 14th green during the third round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 19, 2020, at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Wolff will be watching Woods, attempting to glean something of value from one of the sport’s great champions.
“I just think how he kind of handles himself, the shots that he hits and the decisions that he makes,” Wolff said. “I think it’s going to be really cool … just to see greatness right in front of you is always something really special.”
The former national champion at Oklahoma State has wasted little time making himself comfortable on the PGA Tour, already amassing $5.6 million in earnings in 15 months despite the sport’s pandemic pause.
After finishing 35th in the FedEx Cup rankings as a rookie, Wolff has finished second in two of three starts on the PGA Tour this season.
He finished runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot last month and tied for second at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas earlier this month.
“I gave myself two good opportunities to win the golf tournament and guess I just kind of got outplayed at the very end,” Wolff said.
After struggling last week at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek, where he finished 73rd at 11-over par, Wolff has been hard at work this week with swing coach George Gankas.
“My alignment and my setup kind of got off and from there it was just a downhill spiral,” Wolff said. “Lucky for me, my coach, George, he lives 10 minutes away from here as well, so we worked really hard the first couple days and I feel like my game’s in a pretty good spot.
“Golf is crazy like that. You feel like you can be on top of the world and can’t miss a shot for two months and then very next day you come out and feel like you’re lost. You know, last week was just one of those weeks.”
A unique tour stop back home in Ventura County has been a welcome change for Wolff.
“I think seeing some family at the beginning of the week was really helpful to kind of, you know, just settle everything down,” Wolff said. “But, also at the same time, they understand that even though I’m back home and I need to spend time with them, I also need to prepare for this tournament.
“I’m still working. So they’re very good at making sure that I can balance both of those things and not asking too much of me, you know, off the golf course.”
He knows even a home-course advantage will be useless if he’s not on his game.
“I’m very comfortable with the golf course and I feel like even though I am comfortable, I still need to prepare,” Wolff said. “The rough is the longest I’ve seen it and I’ve played here hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times.
“(It’s) definitely a little different because I feel like most of the par 5s, if you hit it in the rough on a normal day, you can get to them still. But here, you’re going to just kind of have to hit it back in the fairway. It’s going to play a little different, but like I said, the lines off the tees, the comfort level that I have out here is I think a huge advantage.”
Joe Curley covers sports for The Star. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @vcsjoecurley.
Phil Mickelson has taken care of business on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Now he hopes to get his affairs in order on the PGA Tour.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Phil Mickelson has taken care of business on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Now he hopes to get his affairs in order on the PGA Tour.
Mickelson said he has some momentum heading into this week’s Zozo Championship at Sherwood after he won the Champions’ Dominion Energy Charity Classic last week in Virginia. The five-time major champion closed with a 7-under 65 to finish at 17-under 199 to topple fellow Masters champion Mike Weir by three shots. Mickelson, 50, who won the Ozarks National in Missouri in August, became the third player to win his first two starts on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, joining Jim Furyk and Bruce Fleisher.
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Mickelson’s aggressive nature plays well on the senior circuit, especially with the courses set up much differently than they are on the PGA Tour. In other words, the PGA Tour, obviously, is a different kettle of fish.
“So it’s been fun for me to play over (on the PGA Tour Champions),” Mickelson said. “I seem to get a little bit of confidence and I’m hoping to bring that over into this event as well. But the penalty for a miss is much more severe on the regular tour, the pin placements are a little bit more difficult. The length isn’t as different as I thought. We play the back tees on the Champions tour and it can play every bit as long, but the courses out here are a lot more penalizing.
“I have to be a little bit more precise.”
Mickelson, ranked No. 58 in the official world rankings, missed the cut in the U.S. Open in his most recent start on the PGA Tour. While he has three top-3s on the PGA Tour this year in 14 starts, he’s missed seven cuts and finished worse than a tie for 41st on four occasions. His most recent of 44 PGA Tour titles came in the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
And the 78-man field in this week’s Zozo Championship is loaded and the course at Sherwood Country Club will be a heightened challenge for Mickelson. But he likes where his game is at, especially with the shortest club in his bag.
“I’ve been putting well,” Mickelson said. “My putter’s been really good the last couple of months. I putted poorly starting the year and it’s really come around. I’m excited to get to (Augusta National for the Masters) putting the way I am. I think I can get in contention just based solely on as well as I’ve been putting.”
The same goes for Sherwood and the Zozo Championship.
PGA Tour player Adam Scott tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Adam Scott tested positive for COVID-19 and has withdrawn from the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
Scott, 40, tested positive earlier this week at an on-site facility near Sherwood Country Club. He is the 15th Tour player to test positive since the PGA Tour returned in June after a 13-week break due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“While it’s difficult news to receive, as I really looked forward to playing this week, my focus now is on recovery for the final stretch of the fall,” Scott said Wednesday in a release.
Scott is ranked No. 15 in the official world rankings. He has 31 wins worldwide, including 14 on the PGA Tour. He won the Masters in 2013. His most recent victory came earlier this year in the Genesis Invitational.
First alternate Jim Herman will replace Scott in the field.
Scott is the second high-profile player to test positive in as many weeks. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson withdrew from last week’s CJ Cup at Shadow Creek after testing positive for COVID-19. On Monday, Johnson decided not to play in the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
The best value bets in the 2020 Zozo Championship betting odds with matchups, placings and first-round leader (FRL) picks, and predictions.
Preparation for the 2020 Masters Tournament continues this week for many of the world’s top golfers with the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. The 78-man field is fronted by Tiger Woods and seven of the top-10 golfers in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings. Below, we’ll look for the best value bets in the 2020 Zozo Championship betting odds with tournament matchups, placings and first-round leader (FRL) picks, predictions and best bets.
Morikawa returns to tournament play in the Golden State for the first time since his 2020 PGA Championship win at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California. He finished T-12 at the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek last week after missing the cut at both the US Open and Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Reed returns to North America following a T-3 finish at the BMW PGA Championship. Back Morikawa and his superior approach game as only a slight favorite in this matchup.
Berger finished just T-28 last week to English’s 10th-place showing. Berger was much better off-the-tee and it has been a prominent strength of his game since the Tour’s mid-June return and his win at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
2020 Zozo Championship: Placing bets
Top 5: Bubba Watson (+650)
We cashed a top-10 ticket on Watson last week in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we’ll up the ante a bit at another course well-suited to his game. The two-time Masters champ is likely making his final preparations for Augusta National and his shot-shaping abilities will be a strength at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Sherwood CC.
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Top 10: Corey Conners (+800)
Conners finished just T-61 last week at the no-cut CJ Cup. It was a poor performance across the board, including an uncharacteristic 1.24 strokes lost per round from tee-to-green, according to Data Golf. Look for him to get back on track after a pair of quality results at Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club in the summer.
Top 20: Takumi Kanaya (+600)
The recently-turned professional Japanese star will play his first PGA Tour event as a pro. The 22-year-old won on his home tour last year and made the cut at the 2019 Masters before being named the top amateur golfer in the world. He would be ranked 20th in the Golfweek rankings if he had enough events played to qualify.
2020 Zozo Championship: First-round leader bets
Matthew Wolff (+3500)
Wolff has a home-course advantage this week having gone to high school just seven miles from Sherwood CC. The runner-up at the US Open struggled to a 73rd-place finish last week but has the long game and approach skills needed here.
Jordan Spieth (+6600)
Sherwood CC was called a good spot to prepare for Augusta National by Rory McIlroy. As such, it should suit Spieth well after a T-38 finish last week snapped a stretch of three straight missed cuts that included the US Open. He opened with a first round of 69 or better in five of his nine events after the Tour’s restart through the end of the 2019-20 season.
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Check out the tee times, pairings, TV info and streaming info for the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
Major golf headlines are typically scarce this time of year. But with an unprecedented November Masters on the horizon, and Tiger Woods in the field at Sherwood Country Club this week for the relocated Zozo Championship, ears are perking up.
Woods hasn’t won since he captured his record-tying 82nd PGA Tour title last fall in Japan in the inaugural Zozo Championship. That event moved to Sherwood this year, a familiar venue for Woods, because of the global pandemic.
The 78-man field features a number of marquee players, from PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa to Rory McIlroy to last week’s runner-up Xander Schauffele. Dustin Johnson withdrew from the event a week after a positive COVID test.
From tee times to TV info, here’s everything you need to know for the opening round of play on Thursday. All times listed in Eastern.
Tee times
1st tee
Tee time
Players
12:50 p.m.
Mackenzie Hughes, Carlos Ortiz, Takumi Kanaya
1:01 p.m.
Jason Kokrak, Sungjae Im, Sebastian Munoz
1:12 p.m.
Tyler Duncan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau
1:23 p.m.
Marc Leishman, Lanto Griffin, Rickie Fowler
1:34 p.m.
Richy Werenski, Paul Casey, Billy Horschel
1:45 p.m.
Andrew Landry, Gary Woodland, Brendan Steele
1:56 p.m.
Danny Lee, Harry Higgs, Brad Kennedy
2:07 p.m.
Russell Henley, Harris English, Jazz Janewattananond
2:18 p.m.
Michael Thompson, Ryan Palmer, Matthew Fitzpatrick
2:29 p.m.
Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovlan, Satoshi Kodaira
2:40 p.m.
Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed
2:51 p.m.
Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson
3:02 p.m.
Adam Hadwin, Talor Gooch, Mikumu Horikawa
10th tee
Tee time
Players
12:50 p.m.
Brian Harman, Chan Kim, Naoki Sekito
1:01 p.m.
Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Kuchar
1:12 p.m.
Cameron Smith, Brendon Todd, Joaquin Niemann
1:23 p.m.
Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth, Shugo Imahira
1:34 p.m.
Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama
1:45 p.m.
Tiger Woods, Matthew Wolff, Xander Schauffele
1:56 p.m.
Alex Noren, Scottie Scheffler, Ryo Ishikawa
2:07 p.m.
Abraham Ancer, Tom Hoge, Rikuya Hoshino
2:18 p.m.
Cameron Champ, Dylan Frittelli, Bubba Watson
2:29 p.m.
Nick Taylor, Kevin Na, Adam Long
2:40 p.m.
Adam Scott, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood
2:51 p.m.
Byeong Hun An, Mark Hubbard, Shaun Norris
3:02 p.m.
Kevin Streelman, Joel Dahmen, Gunn Charoenkul
TV, streaming information
Thursday Oct. 22
TV
PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 12:45-5 p.m. (featured groups, featured holes)
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Thanks to COVID, Tiger Woods finds himself in California three weeks before the unprecedented November Masters.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – En route to Magnolia Lane over the years, Tiger Woods has nearly always followed the same roadmap on his inner GPS.
Play a few tournaments in Florida, sharpen his game at his compound in the Sunshine State, occasionally make a reconnaissance trip to Augusta National.
This year, however, with COVID-19 turning the world upside down, the five-time Masters champion, and this year’s defending champion, finds himself in California three weeks before the unprecedented November Masters.
“My run-up to Augusta is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Woods said Tuesday after a 9-hole practice round at Sherwood Country Club, home this week to the relocated Zozo Championship at Sherwood. “That’s just the way it is. The whole idea is to be ready in a few weeks and whether or not that’s playing one more event, whether that’s Houston or just playing here at Zozo, I’m just making sure that I’m ready for Augusta.
“(The Masters) is not normally this time of year. We’re not in a Florida swing. This is all different. This whole year’s been different for all of us. I can’t simulate the normal ramp-up that I normally have, and I don’t think anyone else can either.
What does feel familiar to Woods is Sherwood. From 2000-2013, Woods hosted what is now known as the Hero World Challenge at this hilly Jack Nicklaus track some 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Woods played 12 times during that stretch and won five times, finished second five times, tied for fourth and tied for 14th in 2005. His scoring average in those 48 rounds was 68.46.
When Woods saw Sherwood for the first time in seven years on Tuesday, a homey feel took over. Yes, the course has changed but Woods can call upon all that success he has had here this week.
“The shape of the golf course hasn’t changed, but the greens have changed since the last time I’ve played,” Woods said. “They’re a little bit flatter, a little bit bigger. Some of the contours are gone and so it’s a bit different. It’s on the softer side, and I think that some of the redesign that they’ve done here and the redo has made this golf course certainly more member-friendly.
“I think that the scores will be awfully low this week.”
Tiger Woods tees off on the second hole during the third round of the World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012.
Woods has always gone low here at Sherwood, with one reason being the man he’s chasing for the most major championships in golf: Nicklaus.
“Well, this golf course is typical Jack. It’s pretty open in the fairways, but the second shots are very difficult and you have to miss the golf ball in the correct spots,” Woods said. “My iron game has been one of the stable parts of my game and normally Nicklaus golf courses reward good iron play. Over the course of my entire career, I’ve won on a lot of Nicklaus golf courses because of that.”
Woods hasn’t won since he captured his record-tying 82nd PGA Tour title last fall in Japan in the inaugural Zozo Championship. In fact, this will be Woods’ first title defense since the 2014 World Golf Championships-Firestone Invitational, as he didn’t make it to the 2019 Tour Championship to defend his 2018 title and he has yet to be able to defend his 2019 Masters victory.
The former world No. 1 has slipped to No. 28 and has just one top-10 in seven starts in 2020. He missed the cut in his most recent start in the U.S. Open last month. While he’s been bothered by his surgically repaired but still troublesome back at times, he said he’s healthy and ready to resume his trek to the Masters.
“My game’s definitely better than it was at the U.S. Open,” he said. “I feel a little bit more prepared, a little bit better, and hopefully that translates into playing the golf course.”
